Government of Wales Act (Convictions)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) males and (b) females have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of offences under section (A) 72, (B) 75 and (C) 145C of the Government of Wales Act 1998 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: None.

Biodiversity Ministerial Group

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members are of the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on biodiversity; how often it meets; and whether the minutes of its meetings are published.

Jim Knight: The members of the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on biodiversity are the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Commons) (Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity) at Defra, and the Chairman of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
	The group has met twice to date, and a third meeting is planned for February 2006. Thereafter the group intends to meet at intervals of between six and nine months.
	The minutes of the meetings are not published.

Bushmeat Trade

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proposals the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on bio-diversity has made to date to combat the international trade in bushmeat;
	(2)  if the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on bio-diversity will open up discussions on the international trade in bushmeat to external stakeholders and other interested parties;
	(3)  what progress has been made by the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on biodiversity in developing the Government's policy on the international trade in bushmeat from Africa.

Jim Knight: In response to a request from the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on biodiversity, the Department has recently let a research contract to the Overseas Development Institute.
	The research will comprise a desk study which will draw on previous and current research and other relevant literature, particularly focusing on literature published in the past five years. The results will inform policy discussions at the Inter-departmental Ministers Group on biodiversity, by addressing the key questions;
	1. Is the bushmeat trade a primary threat to endangered species?
	2. From the published literature are the major concerns about bushmeat generic or mainly about endangered charismatic species such as great apes?
	3. What action is already in hand by the Government, and to what extent does this fulfil the need to develop and implement specific actions?
	4. Is current action by the Government effective and are there further interventions which would be more effective?
	5. How do the Governments duties with regard to endangered species/international biodiversity relate to bushmeat? The research will include an assessment of the Governments obligations to the multilateral environmental agreements to which the UK is signed up to, as well as domestic controls that are in place.
	6. What is the relative importance of the bushmeat issue in relation to global biodiversity loss; and efforts to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity?
	7. What is the degree of aggregate dependence for poor people on bushmeat nationally in key bushmeat producing countries in west and central Africa?
	8. What impact would the declining supply of bushmeat have on poor people in these countries?
	9. Consideration of the evidence for an association between the levels of bushmeat trade in the sub-region and extra-sectoral influences, such as the EU common fisheries policy, and the policy issues arising.
	10. Whether the Governments focus in this regard should remain on western and central Africa or should this be broader to address bushmeat issues in the rest of Africa, and /or other parts of the world?
	The recommendations to the group will help to inform Government policy in this area. The specification for this project can be viewed at www.defra.gov.uk/science/funding/historical.htm.
	At this stage it would be premature to invite external stakeholders, and other interested parties, to discuss the matter before this work has concluded. The research is due to conclude in the summer of next year.

Departmental Estate

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which buildings and sites used by her Department and related agencies (a) have ceased to be used in the last year and (b) will be closed under current plans for relocation.

Jim Knight: The Sir Michael Lyons initiative is part of Defra's overall estate strategy that will contribute to the freeing up of space in London and the south east and the subsequent "release" of our occupations. Planned relocation is currently unlikely to lead directly to closures.
	The following table lists those occupations nationwide that Defra and its agencies has ceased to use in the last year due mainly to estate rationalisation.
	
		
			 Property Date ceased to be used 
		
		
			 Market Towers, Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall 28 May 2004 
			 10 Queen Street, Ripon 23 June 2004 
			 Springfield House, Chapel Brow, Leyland 29 June 2004 
			 Oxford Spires Business Park, Kidlington 8 July 2004 
			 132 Warkworth Woods, Gosforth 24 December 2004 
			 19–29 Woburn Place, London 31 January 2005 
			 Westmoreland Lane Farm, Crooklands,  Milnethorpe 22 March 2005 
			 2nd Floor Princes House, Queen Street,  Barnstaple 25 March 2005 
			 10 Whitehall Place, London 30 March 2005

Forestry Commission

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to ensure the Forestry Commission works closely with local farmers.

Jim Knight: The Forestry Commission has always worked closely with farmers and other landowners as it carries out its functions and duties under the Forestry Act and other legislation. These include the provision of advice and incentives for woodland management and creation as well as regulation of tree felling. DEFRA's Rural Strategy published in 2004 is leading to delivery reforms, including the creation of Natural England with which the Forestry Commission will be aligned. This will help to deliver services to farmers and the rural community in a more streamlined customer-focused way.
	The English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS), introduced earlier this year is simplifying arrangements for farmers who seek financial support for creating new woodlands by bringing together in a single scheme contribution to cost grants and income foregone payments.
	The introduction of woodland options under the Environmental Stewardship scheme has provided new opportunities for farmers. In order to help farmers understand the woodland support options available to them, the Commission and DEFRA have produced guidance for farmers, entitled Funding for Farm Woodlands in England. The Commission has also been working closely with the Rural Development Service through joint Environmental Stewardship staff training events.
	The Commission is also a major land manager, which gives it a unique insight and understanding of countryside management and the needs of its neighbours, many of who are farmers.

UK Economy

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the principal factors affecting the estimated level of growth in the UK economy.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) in the Chamber earlier today.

EU Budget (Rebate)

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future of the UK rebate within the EU budget.

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future of the UK rebate within the EU budget.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the House on 5 December.

Debt

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many households in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency have a level of debt above (i) £10,000, (ii) £20,000, (iii) £50,000 and (iv) £100,000;
	(2)  how many women in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency have debts of over £10,000; and how many of these are under 30-years-old.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 8 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions on the number of households and the number of women in West Yorkshire, Wakefield district and Normanton constituency that were more than £10,000 in debt (35407, 35408).
	The information requested is not available.
	The only information available is national data on debt per person or per household. At the end of 2004 debt per person nationally was £25,135; and debt per household was £48,185.

Income Growth

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average percentage increase was in net income in the UK over the past three years; and what the rate of inflation was over the same period.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking (a) what the average percentage increase was in net income in the UK over the past three years and (b) what the rate of inflation was over the same period, (34678)
	(a) It has been assumed that the question relates to gross disposable income of the household sector. The latest information available for gross disposable income is for the second quarter of 20057 (2005Q2). The growth in this series over the three years to 2005Q2 was 12.4%; equivalent to an average of 4.0% per annum.
	The series quoted is gross disposable income for the combined household and non-profit institutions, serving-households (NPISH) sectors. The accounts for the household and NPISH sectors are currently combined; separate estimates are not available.
	(b) In the UK, there are two main measures of inflation, the Consumer Prices Index (GPI) and the Retail Prices Index (RPI). The Government's inflation target is based on the CPI. The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee sets interest rates to meet this target. The RPI is the more familiar measure of inflation. Tax allowances, state benefits, pensions and many other payments are often revised in line with this index.
	The figures are published each month on the National Statistics website, www.statistics.gov.uk, in a First Release, on a Tuesday about a month, after the index date. The publication dates are announced six months in advance.
	The most recently available three-year period is for October 2002—October 2005, During this period, the CPI increased by 5.0 percent while the RPI increased by 6.9 percent.
	The-figures for the last three years are shown in full in Annex A. Figures are presented for both the CPI and the RPI. Monthly figures and the most recently available annual averages for the last three years are presented.
	
		Annex A. CPI and RPI indices and inflation rates: the latest three years
		
			  CPI RPI 
			  Index over 1996=100 Percentage change over 12 months Index January 1987=100 Percentage change over 12 months 
		
		
			 2002 
			 October 108.9 1.4 177.9 2.1 
			 November 108.9 1.6 178.2 2.6 
			 December 109.3 1.7 178.5 2.9 
			  
			 2003 
			 January 108.6 1.4 178.4 2.9 
			 February 109.0 1.6 179.3 3.2 
			 March 109.4 1.6 179.9 3.1 
			 April 109.7 1.5 181.2 3.1 
			 May 109.7 1.2 181.5 3.0 
			 June 109.6 1.1 181.3 2.9 
			 July 109.5 1.3 181.3 3.1 
			 August 109.9 1.4 181.6 2.9 
			 September 110.2 1.4 182.5 2.8 
			 October 110.4 1.4 182.6 2.6 
			 November 110.3 1.3 182.7 2.5 
			 December 110.7 1.3 183.5 2.8 
			  
			 2004 
			 January 110.1 1.4 183.1 2.6 
			 February 110.4 1.3 183.8 2.5 
			 March 110.6 1.1 184.6 2.6 
			 April 111.0 1.2 185.7 2.5 
			 May 111.4 1.5 186.5 2.8 
			 June 111.3 1.6 186.8 3.0 
			 July 111.0 1.4 186.8 3.0 
			 August 111.3 1.3 187.4 3.2 
			 September 111.4 1.1 188.1 3.1 
			 October 111.7 1.2 188.6 33 
			 November 111.9 1.5 189.6 3.4 
			 December 112.5 1.6 189.9 3.5 
			  
			 2005 
			 January 111.9 1.6 188.9 3.2 
			 February 112.2 1.6 189.6 3.2 
			 March 112.7 1.9 190.5 3.2 
			 April 113.1 1.9 191.6 3.2 
			 May 113.5 1.9 192.0 2.9 
			 June 113.5 2.0 192.2 2.9 
			 July 113.6 23 192.2 2.9 
			 August 114.0 2.4 192.6 2.8 
			 September 114.2 2.5 193.1 2.7 
			 October 114.3 2.3 193.3 2.5 
			  
			 2002 108.3 1.3 176.2 1.7 
			 2003 109.8 1.4 181.3 2.9 
			 2004 111.2 1.3 186.7 3.0 
		
	
	Source:
	National Statistics Consumer price indices First Release, 15 November 2005

Older Workers

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) men and (b) women aged 50 to 65 years are available for work; and how many are employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 8 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about people aged 50–65 and their economic activity.
	The attached table provides available information showing the number of people aged 50–64 who are in employment and working full or part time, also those who are unemployed. The table covers the twelve month period ending in August 2005.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		People aged 50–64 who are in employment working full or part time and those who are unemployed, United Kingdom, 12 month period ending August 2005 Thousand
		
			In employment Unemployed(1) 
			  Total population aged 50–64 Total active population Total(2) Of which: Full-time Of which: Part-time Total 
		
		
			 All persons 10,604 7,035 6,838 4,938 1,896 198 
			 Male 5,217 3,906 3,775 3,336 437 131 
			 Female 5,387 3,129 3,063 1,602 1,459 67 
		
	
	(1) For seeking work and available to start, those people unemployed have been given.
	(2) Includes people who did not state whether working full or part time.
	Source:
	ONS—Labour Force Survey

Research and Development (Tax Relief)

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of research and development tax reliefs and tax credits on companies' propensity to spend money on research and development.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 95W on R and D tax credits. The results from the survey of R and D companies referred to in that reply were published on the HM Revenue and Customs website on 2 December 2005 at www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/ The survey shows that the R and D tax credit has already had a positive impact since its introduction; half of those with a successful claim said that R and D tax credits had had some impact on either their R and D spend or R and D projects.
	The survey results form the first part of the long-term evaluation of R and D tax credits. The Government remain committed to ongoing evaluation of the R and D tax credit and will continue to appraise its overall impact as further evaluation results build up over time.

Research and Development (Tax Relief)

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) small and medium-sized and (b) other companies have chosen (i) to offset research and development tax relief against current or future tax and (ii) to receive research and development tax credit as a cash sum in each year for which figures are available; what the total (A) turnover and (B) number of employees is of those companies in each case; and what the total value is of the tax (1) relief and (2) credit in each case.

John Healey: Data for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is published on the HM Revenue and Customs website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/randdtcmenu. The data shows the number and value of claims for research and development (R and D) tax reliefs. The value of support claimed is classified as either reductions in corporation tax revenue from setting off R and D tax reliefs against profits, payable credits or a combination of both. The total turnover of companies claiming R and D tax reliefs under the SME scheme is shown in the following table.
	
		R and D tax relief: total turnover of all claimants under the SME scheme
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 2,620 
			 2001–02 6,630 
			 2002–03 10,710 
			 2003–04 14,100 
			 2004–05 7,890 
			 2005–06 220 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures, particularly for later years, are subject to change as more claims are received.
	Data for other companies (commonly called large companies) are shown in the following table. The claims and value of support for large companies relate only to reductions in corporation tax revenue from companies use of R and D tax reliefs to reduce their tax liabilities.
	
		R and D tax relief: number of claims, value of support claimed and total turnover under the large company scheme
		
			  Number of claims Support claimed (£ million) Total turnover (£ million) 
		
		
			 2002–03 765 180 125,090 
			 2003–04 1,080 320 135,650 
			 2004–05 260 30 4,950 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures, particularly for later years, are subject to change as more claims are received.
	2. The number of claims and total turnover are calculated according to the financial year in which the company's accounting period ends. The value of support claimed is calculated on a receipts-basis according to when tax receipts are foregone by HM Revenue and Customs.
	Information is not available on the total number of employees of companies claiming R and D tax reliefs.

Small Businesses

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department is preparing to take to reduce the burden of administration on small businesses.

John Healey: The Government set out in the pre-Budget report its approach to better regulation including the progress made in implementing the Better Regulation Task Force's and the Hampton Report's recommendations first announced in Budget 2005. The Treasury is fully committed to the implementation of these recommendations as they effect the department, in particular applying a risk-based approach to the regulation of financial services and measuring the administrative burdens of the Treasury's regulations on business as part of a government-wide project. The Government will set targets to reduce these administrative burdens on businesses, charities and the voluntary sector next year.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of likely (a) overpayments and (b) underpayments in tax credits for 2004–05.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to the (my) hon. (Friend the) Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws)

Aircraft Emissions/Noise

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department is taking to reduce emissions from aviation as a contribution to the shared Public Service Agreement climate change target to move towards a 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions below 1990 levels by 2010.

Karen Buck: International aviation is outside the scope of our domestic targets, but we are taking action to tackle the climate change impact of aviation as set out in the Aviation White paper. This includes pressing for the inclusion of aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme. The Government is also pressing for the adoption by industry of working practices that minimise their impact on climate change, research into new technologies and voluntary action by industry to control greenhouse gas emissions. We recognise that these measures may not provide a total solution. In view of this, the Government will continue to explore and discuss options for the use of other economic instruments.

Aircraft Emissions/Noise

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government are taking to tackle aircraft emissions.

Karen Buck: The Government's plans to tackle aircraft emissions are set out in "The Future of Air Transport White Paper". On climate change, it sets out the Government's belief that the best way of ensuring aviation contributes towards the goal of climate stabilisation would be through a well-designed emissions trading regime, for which we are pressing at international and European level. At the local level, the Government are seeking powers through the Civil Aviation Bill to require the imposition of an emissions related element in airport charges where an air quality problem exists. We are also continuing to press for tighter standards for aircraft emissions and improved operational practice to reduce local emissions.

Aircraft Emissions/Noise

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that children's education is not affected by exposure to aircraft noise; what (a) standards and (b) guidelines for airlines apply in this area; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: In its White Paper "The Future of Air Transport" the Government stated that larger UK airports—those with more than 50,000 movements a year—are expected to offer acoustic insulation to noise—sensitive buildings such as schools, which are exposed to medium to high levels of noise, that is 63 dBA Leq or more. The dBA value relates to the Leq 16 hour daytime period from 07.00 to 23.00.
	The White Paper recognised the difficulties associated with insulating some noise-sensitive buildings. We say that where acoustic insulation cannot provide an appropriate or cost-effect solution, airport operators should endeavour to provide alternative mitigation measures such as environmental grants, provisions of quiet rooms for reading or music, or funding for school trips away from the noisy environment, especially where the loss of amenity outdoors may be severe. In such cases we expect the priority of need and the level of any contribution to be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the airport operator and relevant stakeholders.
	BAA have announced its intention at Heathrow to work with relevant local authorities to set up a community-led body to take these decisions.

Aircraft Emissions/Noise

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the (i) impact of exposure to aircraft noise on the educational development of children and (ii) numbers of schoolchildren who may be affected by aviation-related noise.

Karen Buck: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs co-funded the European Community RANCH (Road Traffic and Aircraft Noise exposure and Children's Cognition and Health) Study.
	This comprised three field studies of children around major airports in the UK, Spain and the Netherlands. In the UK children from 29 different schools around Heathrow took part.
	The Government took the emerging results of this research into account when developing its environmental policies set out in "The Future of Air Transport" White Paper.
	Full details of the RANCH study—as well as the earlier West London Schools Study—are on DEFRA'S website at www.defra.gov.uk
	The study concluded that aircraft noise exposure was related to impaired performance in reading comprehension and recognition memory. In particular that the reading age in children exposed to high levels of aircraft noise was delayed by up to two months in the United Kingdom and by up to one month in the Netherlands for a 5dB change in noise exposure. It was not possible to calculate reading age for the Spanish test.
	Aircraft noise was not associated with impairment of recall memory, working memory, prospective memory or sustained attention.

Disabled People (Transport Access)

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve access to public transport for disabled people in Swindon.

Karen Buck: We have introduced "accessibility planning" into the local transport planning process to encourage local authorities and other agencies to assess more systematically whether people can access transport services in their areas. This process covers all forms of transport from buses, coaches and taxis to cycling and walking networks. Making provision for disabled people is a condition against which the resulting Local Transport Plans (LTPs) are assessed.
	Swindon borough council is using its LTP funding for an on-going programme of improvements at bus stops that will assist disabled passengers. The programme involves provision of raised kerbs at bus stops to minimise the step height between the pavement and the bus. This allows easier access for wheelchair users and for other people who have difficulty with high steps such as many older people.
	Routes to bus stops are also being improved with new link paths and dropped-kerb road crossings and bus Stop Clearways are introduced to ensure that parked cars do not obstruct the stops allowing buses to pull up alongside the raised kerbs.
	Local bus operators are providing new accessible low floor buses in Swindon and the Local Transport Plan funding to improve bus stops will allow the benefits of this investment in new vehicles to be maximised.
	Rail services in Swindon are already accessible to disabled people. The station has lifts to all platforms and recent access improvements have been made to the forecourt and bus stop areas.
	At a national level there has been significant progress in making public transport accessible to disabled people through regulations made under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995). We made the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations in 2000 and many of the trains calling at the station comply with those. Although the older rolling stock serving Swindon doesn't comply it can nevertheless accommodate passengers travelling in a wheelchair.
	More generally disabled people in Swindon as elsewhere in the country will also benefit from the provisions in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA 2005). We have already laid regulations which will, from December 2006, lift the transport exemption in Part 3 of the for land-based public transport, vehicle hire, breakdown services and vehicles used on leisure and tourism transport services. We will also be consulting shortly on draft regulations to set an "end date" of no later than 1 January 2020 for when all trains will have to meet the rail vehicle accessibility regulations and to apply those regulations to older trains when they are refurbished.

Public Transport (Disabled Access)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on access for disabled people to public transport.

Karen Buck: The Government are committed to an accessible public transport system in which disabled people have the same opportunities to travel as other members of society.
	A great deal has already been achieved. For example, we have introduced regulations significantly improving access for disabled people to all new trains, buses and coaches; over 4,700 accessible rail vehicles will be in service by the end of 2005 and almost half of the bus fleet is already accessible across the country, with much higher proportions in many urban areas.
	Measures in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 will further increase disabled people's rights when travelling by public transport. These include extending to transport services the "right of access" disabled people currently have to services such as shops and banks. The new Act also allows us to set an "end date", of no later than 1 January 2020, by which time all trains will have to be accessible. We are on course to implement these measures in December 2006 in line with our published timetable.

Race Equality Impact Assessments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Race Equality Impact Assessments his Department completed between (a) April 2004 and March 2005 and (b) April 2005 and November 2005; and how many assessments in each period resulted in a change of policy.

Karen Buck: The Department for Transport is committed to valuing diversity and promoting equality. The Department's Race Equality Scheme 2005–08 covers the activities of the Department and its executive agencies as an employer as well as a policy maker and service provider.
	Race Equality Impact Assessments are being completed across all areas of our business. From April 2004 to March 2005 the Department for Transport has completed eight Race Equality Impact Assessments, two of which have resulted in policy changes.
	No centrally coordinated figures are yet available for the period April 2005 to November 2005 as we collect statistics on an annual basis. These figures will be collected as part of our next race equality data monitoring exercise and published in our 2005–06 Race Equality Report.

London Olympics

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the acquisition of land for Olympic use.

Richard Caborn: The London Development Agency (IDA) is responsible for acquiring the land in East London that will be needed for the Olympics and has recently made two compulsory purchase orders to this end. Other regional development agencies (RDAs) at Olympic sites elsewhere in the UK will also be able to acquire land (compulsorily or by agreement) if that proves necessary. Under the London Olympics Bill, currently before Parliament, the new Olympic Delivery Authority will have powers to acquire land by agreement—including, with the consent of the Secretary of State, on the same terms as for compulsory purchases.
	The Government made an amendment to the London Olympics Bill at Report Stage, on 6 December, which will ensure the necessary land can be assembled without delay and used for Olympic development. Where a RDA purchases land for the purpose of preparing for the Olympics, the amendment has the effect of: removing the need for a special parliamentary process to approve the compulsory purchase of 'special land' where equivalent land is not being provided in exchange; clarifying that 'special land', once acquired, can be built on; allowing the compulsory purchase of Crown land and any interest in Crown land; and extinguishing all existing rights over the land acquired (while providing for compensation to those who have rights removed).
	Anyone owning an interest in land that is being acquired by compulsory purchase will be entitled to fair compensation, based on the principle that they should be paid neither more or less than their loss. If the amount payable cannot be agreed between the parties it will be settled by the Lands Tribunal.

School Sports

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) advice and (b) other support her Department provides to (i) schools and (ii) the Department for Education and Skills to encourage a wider range of sporting activities to be provided in schools.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills share an ambitious Public Service Agreement target to increase the percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport, within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. Long-term—by 2010—we want to offer children the chance to do at least four hours of sport every week.
	The target is being delivered through the national PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy being implemented jointly by both Departments. Over £1.5 billion is being invested over the five years to 2008 to deliver the strategy through nine inter-linked programmes of work.
	We have produced a range of guidance documents including:
	'High Quality PE and Sport for Young People—A Guide to recognising and achieving high quality PE and sport in schools and clubs';
	'Do You Have High Quality PE and Sport in Your School—A guide to self-evaluating and improving the quality of PE and school sport';
	'Swimming Charter';
	'Primary Playground Development'; and
	'Dance Links';
	which provide information and advice to school sport partnerships, schools, sport clubs, local education authorities, national governing bodies, county sport partnerships and others.
	The 2004–05 School Sport Survey, the largest in Europe, confirms that the national strategy is on track to meet the public service agreement target. The survey found that overall 69 per cent. of pupils in the 11,400 schools taking part were spending at least two hours in a typical week on high quality PE and school sport. In 2003–04 the figure was 62 per cent.
	Copies of the guidance documents and the survey reports have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

Devolved Legislatures

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what his policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the Law Officers' Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document he gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) NAW, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons select committees.

Mike O'Brien: Requests for the attendance of Ministers or officials to give evidence to the devolved legislatures, and for the provision of information to the assemblies, will be considered on a case by case basis. This consideration will reflect: the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees" (July 2005); the policy outlined in the Department for Constitutional Affairs' Devolution Guidance Note 12 "Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials at Committees of the devolved legislatures"; and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The principles underlying the provision of information to House of Commons Select Committees are set out in "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees", particularly sections 4B and 4C.

European Court of Human Rights

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many United Kingdom cases are awaiting hearing before the European Court of Human Rights.

Mike O'Brien: Oral hearings before the Court are now the exception rather than the rule. There are 88 cases against the United Kingdom pending before the European Court of Human Rights that have been declared admissible by the Court. A further 352 cases have been communicated to the Government on which an admissibility decision is awaited.
	I have now ascertained that, regrettably, the information provided in an earlier answer to a question by my hon. Friend the former member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on the same issue on 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1104W, was not accurate in that it appears to have included a group of cases known as Widowers cases as admissible which had only been communicated. There are 71 Widowers cases which have been declared admissible and 319 which have been communicated but on which there has not yet been a decision on admissibility.

Fair Recruitment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account the Equality Commission takes of recent recruitment when examining the religious breakdown of the public sector work force in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: I understand that the chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Ms Evelyn Collins, has written to the hon. Gentleman in the following terms:
	"The Equality Commission considers that recent recruitment is an important component when examining the overall trends in the composition of the public sector work force in Northern Ireland. Public authorities are required to monitor the composition of their work force, applicants, appointees, leavers and promotees. This information is provided to the Commission on an annual basis. The Commission monitors overall compositional trends and makes this information public in its annual monitoring report, "Profiling the Northern Ireland Workforce". In relation to individual employers the Commission monitors employment trends through the annual monitoring returns and in greater detail through the article 55 Review process where employers analyse their own employment trends at least once every three years."

Fisheries Patrols

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patrols were undertaken by the Fisheries Conservancy Board patrol boat around the Foyle and Bush rivers on Northern Ireland's North Coast area in the last year for which figures are available; what the (a) nature and (b) extent of co-operation with the Loughs Agency patrol vessel about these patrols was; and on how many days during the 2005 angling and netting season the patrol boat was not in use.

David Hanson: In 2005, 21 boat patrols were carried out on Northern Irelands North Coast. These patrols occurred during the peak of the Foyle netting season and as such involved regular contact with the Foyle patrol boat. The North Coast patrol boat is not involved in angling enforcement. During the netting season in the FCB jurisdiction, the boat was not in use for approximately 108 days.

Motoring Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been prosecuted for driving while not insured in each of the last 10 years, broken down by constituency.

David Hanson: Prosecution data are not readily available broken down by Northern Ireland constituency. The statistics included within the response are based on the 12 police divisions for the years 1994 to 1999 and police district command units for 2000 to 2003. Police district command units became operational in April 2001. However, for the purposes of comparability, calendar year 2000 data are also disaggregated by DCU, rather than police division. It is not possible to disaggregate data by DCU for years prior to 2000.
	With the exception of overall totals, figures in table 1 should not be compared with those in table 2, as table 1 figures relate to the police division to which an offence was reported, while those included within table 2 relate to the police district command unit in which an offenders address falls.
	Data beyond 2003 will become available in early 2006.
	
		Table 1: Prosecutions for 'No insurance' by police division(3) 1994–99
		
			 Police division 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 
		
		
			 A (Musgrave Street) 429 435 402 400 195 259 
			 B (Grosvenor Road) 515 491 507 460 341 350 
			 D (Antrim Road) 1,084 970 747 716 546 633 
			 E (Strandtown) 439 439 420 436 237 234 
			 G (Newtownards) 526 395 375 363 238 233 
			 H (Armagh) 379 445 307 348 365 370 
			 J (Portadown) 392 446 352 328 203 305 
			 K (Dungannon) 405 467 374 335 221 226 
			 L (Enniskillen) 473 507 469 483 566 542 
			 N (Strand Road) 703 604 512 467 519 416 
			 O (Coleraine) 388 353 333 254 222 254 
			 P (Ballymena) 399 354 300 251 195 232 
			 Missing 0 0 0 0 13 7 
			 Total 6,132 5,906 5,098 4,841 3,861 4,061 
		
	
	(3) Figures relate to the police division to which an offence was reported. Missing data relate to those offenders for which police division information is not available.
	Notes:
	1. Offences include 'no insurance' and 'causing no insurance'.
	2. Police stations included within brackets are the divisional headquarters.
	3. Figures are based on the principal rule, thus only the most serious offence for which an offender is charged is recorded.
	
		Table 2: Prosecutions for 'No insurance' by district command unit(4) 2000–03
		
			 District command unit 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Antrim 60 78 98 96 
			 Ards 107 121 139 119 
			 Armagh 76 109 132 152 
			 Banbridge 37 53 66 70 
			 Belfast East 95 118 189 154 
			 Belfast North 198 292 314 301 
			 Belfast South 84 125 121 105 
			 Belfast West 114 168 297 187 
			 Ballymena 72 92 149 88 
			 Ballymoney 28 49 56 58 
			 Carrickfergus 52 70 77 79 
			 Coleraine 66 88 129 93 
			 Cookstown 48 76 87 63 
			 Craigavon 126 145 235 271 
			 Castlereagh 61 68 97 73 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 97 161 138 114 
			 Down 87 132 146 124 
			 Fermanagh 106 148 221 165 
			 Foyle 277 361 316 353 
			 Larne 53 64 91 59 
			 Limavady 57 61 79 90 
			 Lisburn 128 163 212 241 
			 Magherafelt 53 66 88 55 
			 Moyle 39 26 52 41 
			 Newtownabbey 77 113 135 131 
			 North Down 81 102 182 120 
			 Newry and Mourne 171 207 194 235 
			 Omagh 137 180 181 147 
			 Strabane 93 121 161 108 
			 Missing 65 82 126 97 
			 Total 2,745 3,639 4,508 3,989 
		
	
	(4) Figures relate to the police district command unit in which an offender's address falls. Missing data relate to those offenders for which DCU information is not available.
	Notes:
	1. Offences include 'no insurance' and 'causing no insurance'.
	2. Figures are based on the principal rule, thus only the most serious offence for which an offender is charged is recorded.

Murder and Manslaughter

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of (i) murder and (ii) manslaughter in Northern Ireland in each year since 1995.

David Hanson: Figures for the number of offences of murder and manslaughter cleared by a charge/summons are provided in Table 1 and cover the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05.
	The prosecution and conviction statistics included within Table 2 cover the calendar years 1995 to 2003. Data beyond 2003 will become available in early 2006.
	It should be noted that statistics in Table 1 are based on offences cleared and subsequently charged, while data in Table 2 relate to the number of persons prosecuted and convicted. As such, comparisons between the two tables are not appropriate.
	
		Table 1: Offences of murder and manslaughter cleared by charge/summons by the Police in Northern Ireland: 1995–96 to 2004–05
		
			  Cleared by charge/summons(5) 
			 Financial year Murder Manslaughter 
		
		
			 1995–96 14 0 
			 1996–97 23 2 
			 1997–98 29 0 
			 1998–99 29 2 
			 1999–2000 25 3 
			 2000–01 25 1 
			 2001–02 28 4 
			 2002–03 27 0 
			 2003–04 21 3 
			 2004–05 26 2 
		
	
	(5) Please note that the figures relate to the number of crimes that have been cleared by way of charge/summons. This does not equate to the number of persons who have been made amenable.
	Source:
	Central Statistics Unit, PSNI
	
		Table 2: Northern Ireland prosecutions and convictions for murder and manslaughter—1995 to 2003
		
			  Murder Manslaughter 
			  Prosecutions Convictions Prosecutions Convictions 
		
		
			 1995 55 19 6 5 
			 1996 27 13 8 8 
			 1997 19 3 6 6 
			 1998 40 17 9 8 
			 1999 40 13 15 15 
			 2000 21 13 10 9 
			 2001 9 6 8 7 
			 2002 18 14 4 4 
			 2003 25 18 10 7 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures exclude attempts.
	Source:
	Statistics and Research Branch, Northern Ireland Office

Departmental Assets

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by his Department.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has listed all its valuable movable and immovable assets, as underpinned in the 2004–05 resource accounts:
	
		
			  £000 
			  Net book value 
		
		
			 Movable  
			 Equipment 62 
			 IT hardware 47 
			 Software 35 
			   
			 Immovable  
			 Dover House, London 1,090 
			 Fixtures and fittings 121

EU Tariffs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the EU's average applied tariff rate on (a) agricultural and (b) non agricultural imports from the rest of the world was on the last date for which figures are available; and what the average rates would be if the EU's current offer in the World Trade Organisation is accepted.

Ian Pearson: The information is as follows.
	(a) The EU's average applied tariff on agricultural imports in 2005, as reported in the WTO statistical database, is 5.9 per cent. The EU offer represents an average tariff reduction of 39 per cent. for the EU agricultural tariff schedule, but the resulting average applied tariff will depend on which tariff lines are selected as sensitive products.
	(b) The EU's average applied tariff on non-agricultural imports in 2005, as reported in the WTO statistical database, is 4.0 per cent. If the EU offer is accepted the resulting average tariff would be 2.3 per cent.

Small Businesses

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress he has made in his discussions with Government Departments towards implementing a mandatory small business research initiative programme.

Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, mandated departments to participate in the Small Business Research Initiative in the Budget on 16 March this year and the DTI's Small Business Service will shortly be publishing the overall performance figures, for 2003–04 and 2004–05.
	The Government are taking steps to improve disclosure of SBRI performance by Departments and a new system of record keeping will be in place from April 2006.

Telephone Preference Service

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1360W, on the telephone preference service, how many (a) informal warning letters the Information Commissioner has issued to companies in each of the last five years in respect of breaching the telephone preference scheme and (b) companies have received (i) more than one informal warning letter, (ii) between two and 10 informal warning letters and (iii) in excess of 10 informal warning letters.

Alun Michael: I am advised that as explained in the Commissioner's previous correspondence about statistics, the database that the Commissioner's office uses to record complaints about breaches of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR), which includes the TPS scheme, does not enable his office to determine how many of the complaints they receive about telephone calls are TPS registered. In addition, due to the nature of the casework management system previously used, his office is unable to provide specific numbers for telephone marketing complaints prior to 2004.
	The number of letters the Commissioner's office wrote to organisations that were alleged to be at fault was 597 in 2004 and 1,125 so far this year. The increase in complaints corresponds with the sharp increase in TPS registrations. On the issue of multiple warning letters to individual companies, his office is unable to provide precise statistics from their database, although there are a number of companies that they have written to on several occasions for potential breaches of PECR. Where it is considered that a company has persistently breached PECR, cases are sent to their new Regulatory Action Division who consider enforcement.

Asian Earthquake

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the (a) organisations in receipt of monies made available by his Department in response to the recent earthquake in Kashmir and Pakistan and (b) the amounts given; and if he will break down those amounts by (i) grant and (ii) loan.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 5 December 2005
	DFID has allocated £58 million for the continuing relief effort. The details of grants provided to date in support of organisations' humanitarian response are as follows.
	
		
			 Partner Activity Amount (£) 
		
		
			 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)   
			 Oxfam 3,500 winterised family tents (7)998,448 
			  19,700 collapsible 10-litre jerry cans  
			  7,530 wool blankets  
			  40,000 sleeping mats  
			  20,000 tarpaulins  
			 Oxfam Water and Sanitation 560,000 
			
			 Islamic Relief 10,000 tarpaulins (7)258,000 
			  20,000 blankets  
			  1,000 winterised family tents  
			
			 Christian Aid/Church World Services 1,000 winterised tents in-kind; Programme for shelter, food and first aid. 2,000 tarps from Lahore (£10,000) (8)310,000 
			
			 Save the Children UK Provision of shelter, blankets, clothing, primary health care, psycho social support to children 300,000 
			 Save the Children UK Shelter 600,000 
			
			 Save the Children India Shelter 500,000 
			
			 Action Aid Food packages, health centres, psycho social support, and shelter; 1,250 tarps from Lahore (£6,100) 306,100 
			
			 Rural Support Programme Network (RSPN) Tents, food, sanitation, water; 2,750 tarps from Lahore (£13,500) 313,500 
			
			 Mercy Corps Health units, emergency obstetrics and outreach 212,000 
			
			 International Health Partners Provision of various emergency medicines 50,000 
			
			 Norwegian Refugee Council Stoves and fuel 300,000 
			 Norwegian Refugee Council Shelter 700,000 
			
			 CAFOD Water and Sanitation and shelter, and cash for work; 2,000 tarps from Lahore (10,000) 310,000 
			
			 International Medical Corp (IMC) Mobile health clinics, primary health care training, distribution of hygiene kits 289,000 
			
			 GOAL 2,000 tarps from Lahore 10,000 
			
			 ACTED Shelter, toolkits and latrines 300,000 
			
			 Action Against Hunger Water and Sanitation 337,123 
			
			 Internews Communication, support to journalist training, radio distribution 300,000 
			
			 Tearfund Shelter 498,964 
			
			 Merlin To set up two field trauma units in the Panj Kot valley. Support to four Primary Health Centres and health outreach via mobile units. 800,000 
			
			 Australian Aid International Health 199,424 
			
			 UN Agencies   
			 World Health Organisation (WHO) Shipment of health and trauma kits to Pakistan (covering 40,000 people for 3 months) and programme surveillance and response teams. 1 staff secondment 3 months. 670,000 
			
			 Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) HIC module plus vehicle; other in-kind support (vehicles, staff secondments). (7)350,000 
			
			 OCHA Co-ordination and additional support to the HIC 750,000 
			
			 United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) Support for helicopters, one refueler 2,258,250 
			
			 United Nations Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) Staff secondments 50,000 
			
			 World Food Programme (WFP) Logistics support 800,000 
			
			 WFP EMOP food support 650,000 
			
			 United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) Four vehicles to support UNDSS and relief worker safety and security (7)150,000 
			
			 International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Shelter packages including tents, stoves and cooking equipment, including 2 staff secondments 830,000 
			 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Water and Sanitation, staff secondment 1,080,000 
			
			 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Camp Management, staff secondments 1,250,000 
			
			 Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement   
			 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Helicopters, winter clothing, tents and food in Pakistan administered Kashmir; one refueler. 2,078,250 
			
			 Federation Relief supplies for NWFP Pakistan 1,500,000 
		
	
	(7) In kind.
	(8) Including £115,000 in kind.
	All of our humanitarian assistance support through the above organisations is through grants. It does not involve loans. DFID is also providing a range of direct actions, including helicopter provision and other support for the United Nations and the funding of 78 flights for agencies of the Disasters Emergency Committee. Full details of DFID's response actions can be seen in the regular DFID Situation Reports, available at www.dfid.gov.uk.
	In addition to our humanitarian response, we are contributing £70 million over three years for the reconstruction effort. This money will be provided to support Government of Pakistan programmes. The details of how this payment will be made and audited are being finalised.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding has been allocated from his Department for the improvement of transport links (a) to and from and (b) within each British Overseas Territory in each of the last seven years.

Gareth Thomas: Our contributions to costs of maintaining or improving transport links have been included within our overall assistance. Since 1998, these have included:
	joint funding (with the European Union) of a new airport for Montserrat (around £11 million); ferry and operating subsidies for Montserrat (about £2 million annually);
	technical assistance for the extension of the airport runway in Anguilla (£0.57 million); civil aviation advice for the Turks and Caicos Islands (£420,000);
	an annual subsidy to maintain operation of the 'RMS St. Helena' (approximately £2 million annually);
	refurbishment of the Hill of Difficulty Road, the jetty and the slipway at Bounty Bay in Pitcairn (£2.1 million);
	technical support for roads improvements in Anguilla (£130,000);
	support, through budgetary assistance, for regular roads maintenance work in Montserrat and St .Helena;
	a project, in partnership with the EU, to carry out repairs to Tristan da Cunha's only harbour, due to commence in 2006.
	I announced plans last March to build an airport in St. Helena, subject to satisfactory contract bids and a rigorous environmental impact assessment.

EU Agricultural Policies

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the impact of EU agricultural policies on people in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The Government acknowledges the damaging impact that dumping and trade-distorting subsidies have on developing countries, particularly on their agriculture sectors. We fully support the commitment made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha Ministerial meeting in 2001, which agreed that agriculture negotiations would aim to achieve: substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.
	The package of reforms to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) agreed in June 2003 and May 2004 mark a significant shift in the EU's agricultural policy. The de-coupling of subsidies from production should connect European farmers much more closely to the market and have real impacts on reducing excessive production, which results in dumping and harms developing countries. The Government will continue to be at the forefront of those pushing for further reform of the EU's agricultural policy and I welcome the fact that the Commission has re-affirmed its commitment to ensuring that the EU plays a full and constructive role in the WTO agriculture negotiations. I also welcome the commitment in the WTO to agree to set an end date for all export supports. The UK believes these should end by 2010.
	The Doha Development Agenda and specifically the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong represent an important opportunity to make a significant contribution to reducing global poverty. The UK Government is working to achieve an outcome that delivers real gains for developing countries, including the poorest. These gains should include improved participation by developing countries in the world trading system, through substantially increased market access for developing countries and the dismantling of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies by industrialised countries.

Free Trade

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote free trade with developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are committed to the development of an open and rules-based international trading system that fulfils its potential to contribute to the reduction of poverty in poorer countries. Our key policy commitments on trade and development, as well as our objectives for the current round of multilateral trade talks, are set out in the Government's White Papers, "Making Globalisation a Force for Good"(July 2004) and "Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor" (December 2000). The UK Government are working hard to support the poorest and most vulnerable producers, be it through multilateral negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or regional trade agreements such as the Economic Partnership Agreements.
	The UK Government do not support forced liberalisation or unfettered free trade but trade that is fair as well as free. The UK government supports the view that developing countries need to decide on the timing, pace and sequencing of any market opening in line with their own national development and poverty reduction plans. In the context of the WTO negotiations we are firmly committed to ensuring that developing countries are given appropriate flexibility to adjust to trade reforms.
	In the longterm, the removal of trade barriers, if managed properly, can help developing countries gain better access to developed country markets and more competitively priced inputs. By increasing Aid for Trade, (AFT) the UK hopes to help poorer countries seize the opportunities presented by more open markets. DFID will treble its support to £100 million a year by 2010 to help boost poor countries' capacity to trade.
	At the WTO ministerial in Hong Kong we are working with international partners to deliver on the ambition of Doha and build on G8 commitments. The UK Government are working to achieve an outcome that delivers real gains for developing countries, including the poorest.

Intellectual Property Rights

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on enabling the least developed countries to meet the economic, administrative and legal challenges of making use of the flexibilities within the agreement on the trade related aspects of intellectual property rights of the World Trade Organisation.

Hilary Benn: DFID has been funding several programmes specifically around, or incorporating activities, on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities in the context of its global strategy to improve access to essential medicines.
	We have been providing support to the World Health Organisation's Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH), which is reporting in January 2006, with the secondment of an official to lead the secretariat of the Commission (three-year project: £240,000).
	We have been funding legal research and assistance on how to implement the flexibilities, with for instance the recent release of the UNCTAD-International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development's "Resource Book on TRIPS and Development" (part of a three-year £1.2 million project), published this year.
	DFID also supports country-focused work on the issue. In Ghana, we support an Access to Medicines Initiative (ATMI) through the Ghana National Drugs Programme that includes work on TRIPS flexibilities. The DFID Health Resource Centre commissioned a series of studies that looked at access to medicines in under-served markets, including country case studies in Kenya and Malawi. A study on China and India investigates the effects of changing intellectual property legislation on the pharmaceutical industry in these countries, and in a recent update, the consequences of the alignment with TRIPS obligations in 2005.

Al-Yamamah Programme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the 1992 National Audit Office report into charges of corruption by BAE Systems in connection with the al-Yamamah programme; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: holding answer 5 December 2005
	I assume the question refers to the 1992 National Audit Office report on the Ministry of Defence's involvement in the al-Yamamah programme. The report refers to confidential arrangements between the Governments of the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
	The then Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee decided that the NAO report should not be published and that it should be handled on a highly restricted basis. In a review by the parliamentary ombudsman January 2003–04, the ombudsman concluded that
	"I am satisfied that the NAO report is covered by parliamentary privilege and that the decision as to whether or not to disclose the report is properly a matter for Parliament."
	In considering the report, the then PAC chairman stated
	"I did an investigation and I find no evidence that the MOD made improper payments. I have found no evidence of fraud or corruption. The deal . . . complied with Treasury approval and the rules of Government accounting."

DARA (St. Athan)

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will meet representatives of the Amicus trade union to discuss the potential for future defence contracts being awarded to the Defence Aviation Repair Agency, St. Athan.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (John Reid) has already met with Derek Simpson, the General Secretary, from the Amicus Trade Union to discuss the future of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency site at St. Athan.

Departmental Finance

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) his Department's output categories for financial years (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06 and (b) the STPO5 Overseas Security and Policy Paper.

John Reid: Schedule 5 of the Departmental Resource Accounts sets out costs by Departmental aims and objectives. These are in effect high-level output categories. Data for financial year 2004–05 was published on 28 October 2005 and copies of the relevant accounts have been placed in the Library of the House. On current plans, the format of Schedule 5 of the Resource Accounts is unlikely to change for financial year 2005–06.
	I am unable to place a copy of the Overseas Security and Policy Paper in the Library of the House as it is a confidential document and its release would prejudice the formulation of Government policy and have a detrimental impact on international relations.

Civil Service Pensions

George Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the annual amount which would be raised if civil servants were required to pay a 6 per cent. contribution to their pension scheme.

Jim Murphy: The Government has not made any estimate of the annual amount that would be raised if civil servants were required to pay a 6 per cent. contribution to their pension scheme. Civil servants currently pay contributions of either 1.5 per cent. or 3.5 per cent. of pensionable earnings depending on which section of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme they belong to. The total of these member contributions for the year 2004–05 as disclosed in the Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts was £256 million.

Nos. 10 and 11 Downing Street

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans there are to refurbish Numbers (a) 10 and (b) 11 Downing Street; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: I have nothing further to add to the answer given on 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 302W by my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Duchy (Mr. Hutton).

Antisocial Behaviour (Hedges)

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to local councils on action they should take in response to an application under high hedges regulations to cut a hedge by more than a third to ensure reasonable enjoyment of a property.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has issued no guidelines on not cutting hedges by more than a third. Paragraph 6.24 of our publication 'High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure' advises that Councils cannot order remedial works that would kill a hedge. In our view this would amount to the same as removing the hedge altogether and, under section 69(3) of the 2003 Act, Councils are expressly prevented from ordering action involving removal of a hedge.
	How far you can reduce a hedge before it is killed will vary according to the particular circumstances and, to illustrate the point, we give the example of a healthy Leyland cypress hedge which will usually respond well to a reduction by up to one-third whereas an older specimen may not. There will be circumstances where Leyland cypress, or other species, may be reduced by more than one-third without destroying them.
	Where local councils have concluded that remedial action is required to ensure reasonable enjoyment of a property, it is for them to decide what height the hedge should be reduced to while ensuring its survival. That judgment depends on the species of the shrubs or trees in the hedge, their age and health, and past management. We recommend councils, therefore, to consider each case on its merits and to obtain arboricultural advice.
	Copies of 'High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure' are available in the Library of the House. Further information is published on the Frequently Asked Questions pages of our website at www.odpm.gov.uk/treesandhedges, under the heading 'Remedial works'. This acknowledges that there may be some cases where councils could be prevented from requiring action that would provide a full remedy to the problems identified because it would kill the hedge. Nevertheless, they would still be able to order works that offer some relief to the complainant. In addition, if a complainant considers that the action specified in a remedial notice does not go far enough, they can appeal against the council's decision to the Planning Inspectorate.

Brownfield/Greenfield Land

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many acres of brownfield land there are in each London borough; and how many such sites are of half an acre or less;
	(2)  how many acres of (a) brownfield and (b) greenfield land there are in England, broken down by local authority.

Yvette Cooper: The National Land Use Database of Previously-Developed Land provides estimates of the amounts of previously-developed vacant and derelict land in 2004. A table with this information has been made available in the Library of the House. The estimates include an allowance for the contribution from small sites but these are not generally recorded separately and no count is available. The table also shows the amounts of land not in built-up areas (greenfield). The built-up areas are those with a population of 1,000 or more and are for 2001. They include green spaces if they are within the built-up area.

Designated Growth Areas

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1688–89W, on designated growth areas, 
	(1)  what evidential factors will be used to determine mainstream funding in each designated growth area in England;
	(2)  how much additional grant funding will be made available by his Department for designated growth areas within England;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the amount of private funding that will be used within (a) the Milton Keynes growth area and (b) each other designated growth area towards infrastructure costs; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Mainstream Government funding is, by its nature, determined by the relevant Government Departments based on their own procedures for allocating funding towards meeting their objectives under their Public Service Agreement. For most Government programmes, this is covered by the periodic spending reviews. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been working with Departments towards ensuring that growth is given due consideration in the allocation of funding. In a number of cases this would follow in the ordinary course, simply because funding levels are based on (among other factors) population. In other cases, specific mechanisms are available to safeguard rapidly growing areas.
	To give an example from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's own departmental expenditure, population is an important factor in the allocation of revenue support grant (RSG) to local authorities. As a result of recent changes to the formula for allocating RSG, namely the abolition of "ceilings" and (as from 2006–07) the use of forward-looking population data, local government funding will be more responsive to the relatively rapid population growth associated with growth areas.
	By way of example from another Department, capital funding from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for new schools places responds formulaically to local authorities' estimates of pupil numbers. Local authorities in the growth areas should therefore be taking account of growth plans in their submission to DfES. Nonetheless, a "safety valve" mechanism has been put in place to allow exceptional needs resulting from unanticipated factors (which could include growth in pupil numbers) to be taken into account. A number of growth locations have accessed funding under this mechanism.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made grant funding available exclusively in support of projects in the growth areas. The total amount of such funding, up to and including 2007–08, is around £1.25 billion. This does not include the £200 million to be made available to the growth areas by Department for Transport under the community infrastructure fund. Expenditure beyond 2007–08 will be subject to the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review. This expenditure will lever in funding from other sources. For example, it was estimated that the initial round of ODPM funding (amounting to just over £600m) would lever in funding of over £3 billion from other public and private sector partners (not including Department for Transport funding).
	Private sector investment will respond to opportunities presented by the growth areas, e.g. investment by the privately owned utilities in water, wastewater and electricity supply infrastructure. In addition, housing developers will be expected to contribute to the infrastructure costs associated with housing development through Section 106 contributions. A good example of this is in Milton Keynes, where the local delivery vehicle Milton Keynes Partnerships Committee has been negotiating a standard charge of over £18,000 per house from developers in the east and west expansion flanks. This will generate approximately £300 million of funding to complement circa £900 million of funding from public sources in support of infrastructure to facilitate construction of 15,000 houses to 2016.

Fire Service

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the members of the project team for the delivery of (a) Fire Link and (b) Fire Capture; and from where each secondee on the team has been seconded.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Firelink and FiReControl project teams comprise civil servants, seconded fire and rescue service staff and consultants.
	As of 30 November 2005 there were, for Firelink, 51 team members, including 12 officers seconded from the following fire and rescue services: London, West Yorkshire, Mid and West Wales, South Wales, Suffolk, East Sussex, Devon, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Northumberland Lothian and Boarders and Strathclyde.
	For FiReControl, there were 74 team members (70 full-time equivalents). The 13 secondees from the fire and rescue service are from Wiltshire, London, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear, Lancashire, Northumberland, Cumbria and South Wales. The project team number includes two full-time special advisers from the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA).

Homelessness

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many individuals were homeless in each district authority in Northamptonshire in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected in respect of households, rather than persons.
	The number of households accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need in each year since 1997–98, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation on 31 March each year as reported by each local authority in Northamptonshire is as tabled.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also presented in the tables.
	
		Households accepted(9) as homeless during the year, households in temporary accommodation(10) at the end of the year, and numbers of rough sleepers(11) each year, for districts in Northamptonshire
		
			  Households Accepted(9) during 1997–98 Households in TA(10) at end March 1998 Households Accepted(9) during 1998–99 Households in TA(10) at end March 1999 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 1998 Households Accepted(9) during 1999–2000 
		
		
			 Corby 28 7 30 12 0 52 
			 Daventry 78 28 74 25 0 127 
			 East Northampton 29 20 34 23 0 47 
			 Kettering 53 11 100 9 0 112 
			 Northampton 423 32 378 61 13 369 
			 South Northamptonshire 170 34 128 19 0 94 
			 Wellingborough 25 6 30 11 0 11 
		
	
	
		
			  Households in TA(10) at end March 2000 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 1999 Households Accepted(9) during 2000–01 Households in TA(10) at end March 2001 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 2000 
		
		
			 Corby 13 0 42 17 0 
			 Daventry 29 0 94 56 0 
			 East Northampton 25 0 50 36 0 
			 Kettering 9 0 133 12 0 
			 Northampton 65 12 430 62 6 
			 South Northamptonshire 15 0 69 16 0 
			 Wellingborough 14 0 10 24 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Households Accepted(9) during 2001–02 Households in TA(10) at end March 2002 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 2001 Households Accepted(9) during 2002–03 Households in TA(10) at end March 2003 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 2002 
		
		
			 Corby 60 12 0 58 22 0 
			 Daventry 76 40 0 104 54 0 
			 East Northampton 42 28 0 43 22 0 
			 Kettering 112 16 0 103 10 0 
			 Northampton 286 81 6 414 110 6 
			 South Northamptonshire 69 21 0 62 28 0 
			 Wellingborough 34 32 0 81 5 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Households Accepted(9) during 2003–04 Households in TA(10) at end March 2004 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 2003 Households Accepted(9) during 2004–05 Households in TA(10) at end March 2005 Rough Sleepers(11) (persons) 2004 
		
		
			 Corby 60 21 0 50 29 0 
			 Daventry 121 56 0 72 50 0 
			 East Northampton 81 36 0 83 50 0 
			 Kettering 141 18 0 103 16 0 
			 Northampton 420 138 7 455 179 8 
			 South Northamptonshire 46 27 0 56 30 0 
			 Wellingborough 90 16 0 n/a 44 0 
		
	
	n/a denotes the authority failed to provide a return for 1 or more quarters of the year.
	(9) All households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
	(10) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as "homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(11) Number of persons sleeping rough, based on local authority mid-year counts or estimates. Counts began in 1998.
	Source:
	ODPM—P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) and HSSA returns (annual)

Homelessness

Ian Gibson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many households applying under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 in each authority in Norfolk and Suffolk have been found to be (a) homeless and in priority need, (b) homeless but not in priority need, (c) intentionally homeless and (d) not homeless in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many homeless households have been placed in temporary accommodation in each authority in Norfolk and Suffolk in each year since 1979.

Yvette Cooper: A table presenting summary information reported by each local authority in Norfolk and Suffolk on their decisions under homelessness legislation during each financial year since 1997/98 has been made available in the library of the House. Also included are the numbers in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities, as at 31 March of each year.
	Equivalent information collected prior to January 1997 is not available in electronic format and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Housing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people are on the housing list waiting to be re-housed in Tamworth.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 205W, in which the number of applicants on the Tamworth housing waiting list was requested.
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Households looking for transfer within the local authority's stock are not included.

London Borough of Croydon (Funding)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the (a) European Structural Fund Objective 2, (b) Community Chest and (c) Estate Action funding stream from the Government Office for London was made available to the London borough of Croydon in 2004–05.

Yvette Cooper: No funding was available to the London borough of Croydon in 2004–05 through the European Structural Fund's Objective 2 Programme as it did not meet the European Union's eligibility criteria when the present round of Objective 2 Programmes were agreed.
	In 2004–05 the Community Empowerment Network (CEN) in Croydon received funding of £243,139 under the Single Community Programme. Of that the CEN allocated £112,600 for Small Grants (formerly Community Chest), and spent £137,001. Total Single Community Programme funding available in London in 2004–05 was £9,343,811.
	2004–05 was the last year of Estate Action funding in London, which received £2,626,000 for two schemes in the London borough of Lambeth. The London borough of Croydon received no Estate Action funding.

Materials Recycling (West Sussex)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the environmental implications of the proposed materials recycling facility at Ford in West Sussex.

Yvette Cooper: Assessment of the environmental implications of such developments is a matter for the local planning authority, in this case West Sussex county council, to determine in the first instance. I understand that the applicant submitted an environmental impact assessment with the planning application.
	Should a planning application for a proposed materials recycling facility at Ford be referred to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, the First Secretary of State for consideration, the environmental implications of the proposal would be considered together with other material considerations.

Mining

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessments are required to be conducted prior to an agreement being reached for the diversion of a river to enable the extension of open cast mining; and what ongoing monitoring of river quality is then required.

Yvette Cooper: An environmental impact assessment (EIA) would almost certainly be necessary before any such proposal could be considered. EIA is mandatory for all open-cast mining at sites in excess of 25 hectares. In all other cases the proposals would be considered for EIA against the potential impacts, as would any works involving river canalisation in excess of 1 hectare. The Environment Agency would be consulted as part of the EIA process, and if it was decided in the light of the resulting environmental statement that the development should proceed, it could require conditions on the monitoring of river quality to be attached to the mineral permission. Planning policy for England is set out in PPS23, "Planning and Pollution control Annex 1".

Planning Applications

Philip Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning applications were referred to the planning inspector in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire in each of the last eight years; and in how many of those cases the planning inspector overturned the local planning authority's decision.

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows.
	
		Planning appeals decided/allowed—England 2004–05 to 1996–97
		
			  Outcome 
		
		
			 2004–05  
			 Decided 17,403 
			 Allowed (number) 5,689 
			 Allowed (percentage) 33 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 Decided 18,178 
			 Allowed (number) 6,018 
			 Allowed (percentage) 33 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 Decided 15,002 
			 Allowed (number) 5,469 
			 Allowed (percentage) 36 
			 2001–02  
			 Decided 13,539 
			 Allowed (number) 4,893 
			 Allowed (percentage) 36 
			   
			 2000–01  
			 Decided 12,916 
			 Allowed (number) 4,515 
			 Allowed (percentage) 35 
			   
			 1999–2000  
			 Decided 12,619 
			 Allowed (number) 4,573 
			 Allowed (percentage) 36 
			   
			 1998–99  
			 Decided 12,877 
			 Allowed (number) 4,523 
			 Allowed (percentage) 35 
			   
			 1997–98  
			 Decided 13,051 
			 Allowed (number) 4,685 
			 Allowed (percentage) 35 
		
	
	
		Planning appeals decided/allowed—local planning authorities in Yorkshire 2004–05 to 2000–01(14)
		
			  Outcome 
		
		
			 2004–05 
			 Decided 849 
			 Allowed (number) 313 
			 Allowed (percentage) 37 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 Decided 860 
			 Allowed (number) 268 
			 Allowed (percentage) 31 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 Decided 672 
			 Allowed (number) 244 
			 Allowed (percentage) 36 
			   
			 2001–02  
			 Decided 687 
			 Allowed (number) 265 
			 Allowed (percentage) 39 
			   
			 2000–01  
			 Decided 543 
			 Allowed (number) 197 
			 Allowed (percentage) 36 
		
	
	(14) These data are available for the last five years only.

Planning Regulations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes the Government (a) has made since 1997 and (b) is planning to make to planning regulations relating to the use for residential purposes of land designated for employment, industrial or commercial purposes.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing (PPG3), published in March 2000, asks local planning authorities to review their non-housing allocations of land (including employment land) when reviewing their development plan and consider whether some of this land might be better used for housing or mixed use developments. This built on the general policy approach in the previous PPG3 published in 1992.
	The PPG3 update 'Supporting the Delivery of New Housing', published in January this year, added a new paragraph to PPG3. This advocates the re-use of industrial and commercial land where it would be better used for housing and mixed use development unless a compelling case can be made for the retention of the current allocation.
	A new draft Planning Policy Statement 3 was published on 5 December.

Right-to-Buy Scheme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what regional variations there are in right to buy sales discounts; and what changes there have been in such discounts in each region since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: There are 10 regional discount limits for Right to Buy:
	£38,000 in the South East (except in the local authority areas of: Chiltern, Epsom and Ewell, Hart, Oxford, Reading, Reigate and Barnstead, Tonbridge and Mailing Vale of the White Horse, West Berkshire, where it is £16,000)
	£34,000 in the Eastern Region (except in Watford where it is £16,000)
	£30,000 in the South West
	£26,000 in the North West, and the West Midlands
	£24,000 in the East Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber
	£22,000 in the North East
	£16,000 in London (except in Barking and Dagenham and in Havering, where it is £38,000).
	In 1997, the maximum Right to Buy discount in England was £50,000. The lower regional limits set out above were introduced with effect from 11 February 1999. The limits were reduced to £16,000 with effect from 27 March 2003 in 41 areas under the greatest housing pressure as evidenced by high levels of homelessness and high local house prices. Of the areas, 31 are in London, nine are in the South East, and one is in the Eastern region, as indicated.

Right-to-Buy Scheme

Adam Holloway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what receipts were generated from right-to-buy sales in Gravesham in each year since the introduction of the scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The total capital receipts from right-to-buy sales of local authority dwellings in Gravesham in the years from 1996–97 onwards are in the following table. These figures are net of discounts and are as reported by local authorities.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Gravesham 
		
		
			 1996–97 1.3 
			 1997–98 1.7 
			 1998–99 2.5 
			 1999–2000 3.8 
			 2000–01 3.4 
			 2001–02 3.9 
			 2002–03 6.2 
			 2003–04 8.9 
			 2004–05 4.4 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly P1(A/B) return received from local authorities
	The information for years prior to 1996–97 is not centrally available.

Telecommunications Masts

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, columns 209–10W, on mobile telephone masts, if he will make a statement on the application of the precautionary principle as recommended by the Stewart Group and adopted by the Government.

Yvette Cooper: Since the publication of the Stewart Report the Government has introduced standards to ensure that all base stations meet the international guidelines on public exposure set by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). These guidelines are five times tougher in respect of public exposure than the guidelines previously used. More generally the Government's acceptance of the precautionary approach recommended the Stewart Group is demonstrated in the way it has adopted its recommendations.

Thames Gateway

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what provision there will be for (a) older people, (b) disabled people and (c) families with children in the new housing planned for the Thames Gateway.

Yvette Cooper: New housing developments in the Thames Gateway, as elsewhere, are required to follow national planning policy for housing as set out in planning policy guidance note 3: "Housing" (PPG3). PPG3 expects new developments to meet the housing requirements of the whole community, including those in need of affordable and special needs housing. It seeks to provide wider housing opportunity and choice, and a better mix in the size, type and location of housing than is currently available so that new housing meets the diverse range of needs across the social spectrum—including those of older people, disabled people and families with children. The Government also require new housing to be well-designed in order to create attractive, high-quality living environments in which people will choose to live.
	The Government are now consulting on a new national policy framework for planning for housing through draft planning policy statement 3 which was published on 5 December 2005.

Thames Gateway

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list public sector organisations involved in the regeneration of the Thames Gateway.

Yvette Cooper: The key partners are identified in "Creating Sustainable Communities: Delivering the Thames Gateway" (page 52), which sets out the Government's vision for and commitment to the Gateway. The Thames Gateway spans 40 miles north and south of the Thames and includes 16 local authorities. Therefore there are a large number of local organisations involved in regeneration projects in different parts of the Gateway. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister therefore announced on the 23 November that we will be publishing a strategic framework to help shape and guide investments, decisions and actions by Government and our delivery partners across the Thames Gateway.

Asylum/Immigration

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with EU Ministers about illegal immigration from North Africa into the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 December 2005
	The Home Secretary has held various discussions with other EU Ministers about illegal immigration from North Africa, both bilaterally and at EU level, including at recent JHA Councils and at the G5 in Evian. It has been a UK presidency priority to make progress on this issue.
	Illegal migration across the Mediterranean is an humanitarian problem affecting source, transit and host countries alike. Discussions have focused on the need to take urgent action to prevent loss of life at sea, tackle human trafficking and assist transit countries in North Africa to build capacity to manage migration flows more effectively. In parallel, there is a need for the EU and African countries to work in partnership to develop a comprehensive, long-term approach to strengthen and enhance dialogue and practical cooperation and to address the root causes of migration.
	This approach was recognised by EU Heads of State at the informal summit in London on 27 October 2005 and is strongly reflected in the Commission Communication on Priority actions for improving migration management published on 30 November 2005. The communication focuses on concrete actions that can be carried out quickly with sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean countries, as the first step in this long-term approach.

Civil Emergency Planning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates since September 2001 local authorities and emergency services in (a) Essex, (b) Greater London and (c) England have carried out emergency drills for terrorist attacks; where such drills took place; and which agencies were involved.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not gather information about the number and nature of exercises carried out by local responders and which agencies were involved.
	Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004—which came fully into force on 14 November 2005—establishes a statutory framework for civil protection activity at the local level. The Act sets out clear roles and responsibilities for local responders and establishes a basis for effective performance management. Under this legislation category 1 responders (eg local authorities, emergency services, health bodies) are required to maintain emergency plans and business continuity plans to ensure that they can respond effectively to the full range of emergencies, including terrorism. The legislation also requires category 1 responders to put in place a programme of exercises to ensure that these plans are effective.
	Responders' performance against the requirements set out in the Act will be monitored by their existing performance management bodies (eg Audit Commission, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary).

Departmental Estate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the status of the old Home Office building at 50 Queen Anne's Gate.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The building is currently being prepared for refurbishment by the landlord following completion of the move of the Home Office to their new premises at 2 Marsham Street, on 18 April 2005. An agreement has been signed between DCA and the landlord, on 5 October 2005, under which the landlord will refurbish the building before DCA take occupation. Work will start on the building on 5 December 2005 and is due for completion in November 2007.

Deportation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibility he has for deportees after the expiry of the three year period in the Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan.

Tony McNulty: There is no time limit on the operation of the majority of the understandings contained in the Memorandum. The exception to this relates to the deportee's entitlement to contact, and be visited by, at representative of the independent body in the event he is arrested, detained or imprisoned. A deportee who is arrested, detained or imprisoned within three years of his return is entitled to contact and be visited regularly by a representative of that body. Where applicable, those visits will continue beyond that three year limit. If a returned person is arrested detained or imprisoned after this three year period, there is no entitlement to contact, or be visited by, the independent body.

Identity Cards

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of the (a) one-off and (b) recurring costs associated with the introduction of stand-alone identity cards.

Andy Burnham: The current best estimate for the total average running costs for issuing passports and ID cards to UK nationals, for which fees will be charged, is £584 million per annum, 70 per cent. of which is attributable to the cost of the biometric passport. Within our current best estimates of the ID cards scheme as a whole, it will be affordable to set a charge of £30 at current prices for a stand-alone ID card, valid for 10 years.
	The Home Office is not breaking this cost down further, nor publishing details of set-up costs because this information is commercially sensitive and discussion of estimated costs for individual elements of the scheme, such as the stand-alone identity card, may prejudice the procurement process by limiting the Department's ability to secure value for money from the market.
	The Government recognises the need to have independent assurance so the public can place trust in the figures produced. Thus, KPMG a world leading audit and accounting firm, were commissioned to produce an independent review of the costing methodology and key assumptions in the business case. They concluded that the methodology used to cost the identity cards proposals is robust and appropriate for this stage of development.

Departmental Expenditure

Martin Horwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.

Harriet Harman: My Department and a list of its agencies which have spent the following amounts on design and production of logos and employing external public relations agencies since 2000 is set out below.
	
		(a) Expenditure on design and production of new logos £
		
			 Agencies Logos Amount 
		
		
			 FY 2000–01   
			 Council on Tribunals New organisational logo 575 
			 Law Commission New organisational logo 7,500 
			 FY 2002–03   
			 Commission for Judicial Appointments Logo for new public body: CJA 1,350 
			 FY 2003–04   
			 DCA Logo for new Department 25,000 
			 HM Courts Service Logo for new agency: HMCS 20,000 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service Logo for new public body: NI Legal Services Commission 12,705 
			 FY 2004–05   
			 DCA Logo for Freedom of Information Act 12,842 
			 FY 2005–061   
			 DCA Logos for new public bodies: Commission for Judicial Appointments, Office for Judicial Complaints, Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman 35,000 
			 Judicial Studies Board Logo for the European Judicial Training Network General Assembly 1,600 
			 HM Inspectorate of Court Administration Logo for new agency: HMICA 5,850 
		
	
	(19) To date.
	
		(b) Expenditure on employing external public relations agencies— £
		
			 Commission for Judicial Appointments Amount 
		
		
			 2002–03 12,000 
			 2003–04 37,360 
			 2004–05 48,900 
			 2005–06 33,350 
		
	
	(20) To date.
	Information on employing graphic design agencies since 2000 is not centrally held. To collate the information would be disproportionate to cost.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many staff in her Department have been relocated into London and the South East in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Harriet Harman: There has been no relocation of jobs into London and the South East. The Department for Constitutional Affairs does not hold records on individual staff who may have relocated through the normal course of internal staff movement.

Human Rights Act

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance her Department has given the English Regional Chambers on the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1700W.

Human Rights Act

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, columns 640–41W, on the Human Rights Act, what the (a) name and (b) publication date is of the guidance to local authorities; and if she will place a copy in the Library.

Harriet Harman: The "Guidance on Contracting for Services in the light of the Human Rights Act 1998" was first published in May 2005, and was republished in November 2005. It is available on the websites of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and of the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and I have placed a copy in the Library.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the (a) total and (b) net cost of (i) integrating the proposed identity card scheme into her Department's IT systems and (ii) the ongoing operation of the scheme within her Department.

Harriet Harman: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has, in consultation with the Identity Cards Programme, commenced work on calculating costs in the areas where ID cards will be used in the department—both in terms of integrating with the IT systems and the ongoing operational impact. This information is commercially sensitive and to release it may prejudice the procurement process and the Department's ability to obtain value for money from potential suppliers.
	The Department is represented on the Ministerial Committee on Identity Cards which oversees the work on benefits planning and realisation.
	We believe that operational benefits will be realised through the use of ID cards particularly in areas where the identity of individuals will assist in the delivery of front line services. As improvements in our business processes are identified we will consider changes to our IT systems to derive the maximum benefit.

Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether victims in cases covered by the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill are included in the proposals made in the consultation document "Hearing the Relatives of Murder and Manslaughter Victims"; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The proposals for victims' advocates set out in the consultation paper "Hearing the Relatives of Murder and Manslaughter Victims" apply to cases tried only in England and Wales.

Employer Training

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) employers and (b) employees who were eligible signed up for employer training pilots in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: A report by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) published in March 2005, "Platform for Progression: Employer Training Pilots Year 2 Evaluation Report" found that at the end of the second year of the pilots almost 12,000 workplaces were involved in the 12 phase 1 and 2 pilots. Some 10 per cent. of eligible employers were involved—12 per cent. in the phase 1 pilots and 8.5 per cent. in phase 2. Take-up had been stronger in the second year of the pilots than the first and take-up levels varied significantly by pilot area. 80,000 learners had signed up, around 4 per cent. of the eligible population.
	These figures will be updated in the IES Evaluation Report of Year 3 of ETP which we expect to publish early in 2006.

Every Child Matters Youth Board

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the Every Child Matters Youth Board.

Beverley Hughes: The Government committed to forming a Children and Youth Board in "Every Child Matters: the Next Steps". The Board was set up so that children and young people could gather the views of their peers on the issues that affect them. These views are then used to provide direct advice on the development of national policy and the design of services to the Minister for Children Young People and Families and to officials in the department.
	The 2005/06 Board consists of 25 children and young people aged between 8–19, with five under 12-years-old. The children and young people are from the nine Government office regions and also include two representatives from each of the two devolved administrations. The Minister for Children, Young People and Families meets the Board regularly.

Free Nursery Places

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many three and four-year- olds in Leeds West constituency are in free nursery places.

Beverley Hughes: All four-year-olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998 and from April 2004 this entitlement was extended to all three-year-olds. The free entitlement consists of a minimum of five two and a half hour sessions per week for 33 weeks of the year for six terms before statutory school age, which is the term following their fifth birthday.
	Some local authorities may additionally offer subsidised childcare places but this information is not collected centrally.
	Figures for January 2005 show that all four-year-old children receive some form of free entitlement. The figure for three years olds is 96 per cent. This covers all maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers and represents 535,100 three-year-olds and 568,300 four-year-olds.
	In January 2005 in Leeds local authority there were 7,100 free nursery places taken up by three-year-old children. The equivalent figure for four year olds was 7,600. Information for private and voluntary providers is not currently available for Leeds West constituency in 2005.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 43/2005 "Provision for children under five years of age in England-January 2005 (final)" in September, which is available on my Department's website:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000604/index.shtml

Online Message Boards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's policy is on the use of online message boards for public consultations.

Phil Hope: My Department does not have a specific policy on the use of online message boards for public consultations.
	The Department uses an online consultation system to enable respondents to contribute to public consultations.

Positive Action for Young People (Croydon)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the Positive Action for Young People funding stream from the Government office for London was made available to the London borough of Croydon in 2004–05.

Maria Eagle: In 2004–05, £213,662 was made available from the Positive Activities for Young People programme (PAYP) to the London borough of Croydon. Total expenditure in the London region in 2004–05 was £13,471,088.

Prison Service (Learning and Skills)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was paid to HM Prison Service by her Department for the post of Head of Learning and Skills for the last three years; what the projected expenditure is for these posts over the next five years; and what the projected costs over the next five years are for the Learning and Skills Co-ordinator posts in prisons in the south-west.

Phil Hope: The following table sets out the budget allocated to the Prison Service by the Department for Education and Skills for Heads of Learning and Skills posts for the last three years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Budget 
		
		
			 2003–04 1.96 
			 2004–05 7.00 
			 2005–06 7.56 
		
	
	Expenditure for 2006–07 is expected to be the same as 2005–06. Budgets for future years have not yet been set.
	Expenditure for the Learning and Skills Co-ordinator posts in the south-west is £455,000 for 2005–06. Budgets for future years have not yet been set.

Sick Leave

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of her Department's employees who are within one year of the official retirement age are on extended sick leave.

Maria Eagle: My Department remains committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to putting in place the recommendations of the recently published report "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector".
	There is currently one person within one year of the official retirement age on extended sick leave.

University Staff (Salaries)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions the Department has had with the relevant trade unions on the salaries of university staff.

Bill Rammell: The Department has had no such discussions. Universities are autonomous and responsible for determining their own academic and administrative affairs, including deciding what to pay their own staff. Pay and conditions of service are subject to negotiations between employers, their staff and their representative trade union bodies. The Government plays no part in this.

Youth Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding was made available for youth services in (a) England, (b) Staffordshire and (c) Tamworth constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: From 2003–04, and the introduction of Formula Spending Shares, there has been a Youth and Community sub-block containing unhypothecated resources for the Youth Service, among other items. Subsequently, authorities' planned expenditure on Youth and Community activities has been separately recorded on their section 52 budget statements each year.
	The following table shows the planned expenditure on Youth and Community activities for both Staffordshire and England, using information provided by authorities to the Department.
	The figures for England and Staffordshire are in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Financial year England Staffordshire 
		
		
			 2003–04 516,853,232 7,231,835 
			 2004–05 528,637,156 7,358,625 
			 2005–06 545,410,613 7,588,790 
		
	
	All LEAs including Staffordshire have received additional funding via the Transforming Youth Work Development Fund (replaced in 2005–06 by Transforming Youth Work Performance Improvement Fund) and SENDA funds. The allocations to Staffordshire were:
	
		
			£ 
			 Financial year SENDA capital SENDA revenue TYWDF/TYWPIF 
		
		
			 2002–03 91,911 25,067 307,280 
			 2003–04 108,407 25,017 123,908 
			 2004–05 75,051 16,678 122,279 
			 2005–06 (22)— (22)— 147,870 
		
	
	(22) Not applicable
	DfES does not collect funding information on Tamworth as information is gathered by local authority area.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of assessed Child Support Agency cases had maintenance collected via deduction of earnings orders in each quarter since 1994; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 8 December 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of assessed Child Support Agency cases had maintenance collected via deduction of earnings orders in each quarter since 1994; and if he will make a statement.
	The available information is presented in the attached table.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		The number of cases that had a deduction from earnings order (DEO) in place as a method of maintenance collection from November 1995 to September 2005:
		
			 Quarter ending Cases with DEO as method of maintenance collection Total number of cases with a maintenance liability Percentage of cases with DEO as method of maintenance collection 
		
		
			 1995
			 November 24,000 252,000 10 
			 
			 1996
			 February 28,000 267,000 11 
			 May 29,000 279,000 10 
			 August 29,000 291,000 10 
			 November 34,000 307,000 11 
			 
			 1997
			 February 38,000 323,000 12 
			 May 42,000 334,000 12 
			 August 45,000 352,000 13 
			 November 50,000 372,000 13 
			 
			 1998
			 February 53,000 389,000 14 
			 May 57,000 410,000 14 
			 August 62,000 430,000 14 
			 November 65,000 443,000 15 
			 
			 1999
			 February 68,000 461,000 15 
			 May 71,000 483,000 15 
			 August 72,000 499,000 14 
			 November 75,000 515,000 15 
			 
			 2000
			 February 78,000 527,000 15 
			 May 81,000 539,000 15 
			 August 83,000 544,000 15 
			 November 89,000 546,000 16 
			 
			 2001
			 February 92,000 545,000 17 
			 May 95,000 547,000 17 
			 August 97,000 551,000 18 
			 November 97,000 557,000 17 
			 
			 2002
			 February 100,000 561,000 18 
			 May 100,000 567,000 18 
			 August 101,000 561,000 18 
			 November 102,000 564,000 18 
			 
			 2003
			 February 92,000 503,000 18 
			 May — — — 
			 August — — — 
			 November — — — 
			 
			 2004
			 February — — — 
			 May 94,000 563,000 17 
			 August 99,000 579,000 17 
			 November 103,000 589,000 18 
			 
			 2005
			 February 108,000 603,000 18 
			 May 112,000 620,000 18 
			 August 119,000 638,000 19 
			 September 122,000 651,000 19 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to the nearest whole number.
	2. Robust information covering the period May 2003 to February 2004 is not currently available.
	3. Information prior to November 1995 is not provided as management information is not available.
	4. The above includes those old scheme cases with a full maintenance assessment, and those new scheme cases with either a full maintenance calculation, or a default maintenance decision. Old scheme cases with a punitive interim maintenance assessment (an imposed assessment due to the non co-operation of the non resident parent), a small number of which would have deductions from earnings orders in place, are excluded from this analysis in line with the Agency's target definitions, as are new scheme cases being processed clerically.
	5. These figures include all cases with a maintenance liability with the exception of around 5,000 cases for which the method of payment is unknown.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many change requests have been made to the Child Support Agency's new computer system in each year since 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 8 December 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many change requests have been made to the Child Support Agency's new computer system in each year since 2003–04.
	The process for notifying EDS of any elements of the system that do not fully enable us to meet our functional requirements involves making a "request for change". This does not necessarily mean that a change to the underlying requirement has taken place. The change is commonly a defect discovered during testing or live operation.
	In 2003/4 we introduced 32 agreed changes to the original requirement, 11 in 2004/5 and 4 to date in 2005/6.
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the key performance metrics are for measuring the success of the EDS contract with the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 8 December 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the key performance metrics for measuring the success of the EDS contract with the Child Support Agency are.
	The Departmental wide contract with EDS sets out a number of performance related criteria that are designed to measure their ability to deliver the operational services. The Department monitors the achievement or otherwise of these measures and where applicable it can apply financial remedies to EDS for poor performance.
	The main criteria on which EDS performance is measured in respect of CS2 are:
	The level of system availability (where the target is 99.2%);
	Response times (where the target is 95% of responses within 3 seconds); and
	Accuracy and timeliness of payments to parents with care (where the target is 100%).
	In addition as part of the CS2 commercial settlement with EDS they have agreed to a deliver a staged and specified programme of work. The Department has retained substantial sums of money that will be released over time as and when EDS deliver on their commitments.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deduction of earning orders were in place at the Child Support Agency in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05; what proportion of cases this represented in each year; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 December 2005
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 8 December 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deduction of earning orders have been in place at the Child Support Agency in each year from 1997 to 2005; what proportion of cases this represents in each year; and if he will make a statement.
	The available information is presented in the attached table.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		Number of cases that had a deduction from earnings order (DEO) in place as a method of maintenance collection from November 1995 to September 2005
		
			 Quarter ending Cases with DEO as method of maintenance collection Total number of cases with a maintenance liability Percentage of cases with DEO as method of maintenance collection 
		
		
			 November 1995 24,000 252,000 10 
			 February 1996 28,000 267,000 11 
			 May 1996 29,000 279,000 10 
			 August 1996 29,000 291,000 10 
			 November 1996 34,000 307,000 11 
			 February 1997 38,000 323,000 12 
			 May 1997 42,000 334,000 12 
			 August 1997 45,000 352,000 13 
			 November 1997 50,000 372,000 13 
			 February 1998 53,000 389,000 14 
			 May 1998 57,000 410,000 14 
			 August 1998 62,000 430,000 14 
			 November 1998 65,000 443,000 15 
			 February 1999 68,000 461,000 15 
			 May 1999 71,000 483,000 15 
			 August 1999 72,000 499,000 14 
			 November 1999 75,000 515,000 15 
			 February 2000 78,000 527,000 15 
			 May 2000 81,000 539,000 15 
			 August 2000 83,000 544,000 15 
			 November 2000 89,000 546,000 16 
			 February 2001 92,000 545,000 17 
			 May2001 95,000 547,000 17 
			 August 2001 97,000 551,000 18 
			 November 2001 97,000 557,000 17 
			 February 2002 100,000 561,000 18 
			 May 2002 100,000 567,000 18 
			 August 2002 101,000 561,000 18 
			 November 2002 102,000 564,000 18 
			 February 2003 92,000 503,000 18 
			 May 2003 — — — 
			 August 2003 — — — 
			 November 2003 — — — 
			 February 2004 — — — 
			 May 2004 94,000 563,000 17 
			 August 2004 99,000 579,000 17 
			 November 2004 103,000 589,000 18 
			 February 2005 108,000 603,000 18 
			 May 2005 112,000 620,000 18 
			 August 2005 119,000 638,000 19 
			 September 2005 122,000 651,000 19 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Number are rounded to the nearest 1,000 and percentages to the nearest whole number.
	2. Robust information covering the period May 2003 to February 2004 is not currently available.
	3. Information prior to November 1995 is not provided as management information is not available.
	4. The figures includes those old scheme cases with a full maintenance assessment, and those new scheme cases with either a full maintenance calculation, or a default maintenance decision. Old scheme cases with a punitive interim maintenance assessment (an imposed assessment due to the non co-operation of the Non Resident Parent), a small number of which would have deductions from earnings orders in place, are excluded from this analysis in line with the Agency's target definitions, as are new scheme cases being processed clerically.
	5. These figures include all cases with a maintenance liability with the exception of around 5,000 cases for which the method of payment is unknown.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) total and (b) net cost of (i) integrating the proposed Identity Card Scheme into his Department's IT systems and (ii) the ongoing operation of the scheme within his Department.

James Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions has, in consultation with the Identity Cards programme, developed its current best estimate of the cost of using the ID Cards Scheme to support the services which it oversees and these costs have been incorporated into the business case. The Department is represented on the Ministerial Committee on Identity Cards which oversees the work on benefits planning and realisation.
	In deriving these estimates account has to be taken of the types of use required to support the particular services which this Department oversees. Not all services will require a high degree of integration between the Identity Cards Scheme and other IT systems. Where there may be a need for integration, some costs can be absorbed into the usual cycles of system upgrades and technology refreshes.
	We cannot release the detailed estimated costs for integrating IT systems and the ongoing operation of the Identity Cards Scheme within the Department and the services which it oversees at this stage as these elements may be acquired from the market. The estimates are therefore commercially sensitive and to release them may prejudice the procurement process and the Department's ability to obtain value for money from potential suppliers.

Pension Credit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Stroud (a) received the state pension and (b) (i) applied for and (ii) received pension credit in each of the last five years; and what the average pension credit payment was in each year.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		Number of people in Stroud parliamentary constituency receiving state pension in each of the last 5 years
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 May 2005 21,300 
			 May 2004 21,000 
			 May 2003 20,500 
			 May 2002 20,300 
			 March 2001 20,000 
		
	
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (100 per cent. data) and 5 per cent. sample data
	Information on the number of people who have applied for pension credit is not available in respect of individual constituencies. pension credit was introduced from October 2003. Information on numbers of households and individuals in receipt of pension credit at 30 June 2005 is contained in the most recent quarterly pension credit progress report published on 20 October. The report is available in the Library.
	
		Number of people in Stroud parliamentary constituency receiving pension credit and the average weekly amount
		
			  Household recipients Individual beneficiaries Average weekly amount 
		
		
			 May 2005 3,900 4,700 38.00 
			 May 2004 3,600 4,300 36.06 
			 November 2003 2,900 3,400 37.85 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 100 therefore totals may not sum. Average weekly payments are shown to the nearest penny.
	2. Pension credit (PC) replaced minimum income guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto pension credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria).
	3. PC data are taken as at 30 November 2003 and 31 May in 2004, 2005.
	4. State pension data are taken as at 31 March 2001 and 31 May in 2002–05.
	5. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	6. For March 2001, the caseload figures have been adjusted to be consistent with the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study (WPLS) data. These figures are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.

Pensioners

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many female pensioners in Midlothian are in receipt of the full basic state pension.

Stephen Timms: The number of female pensioners in the Midlothian parliamentary constituency who are in receipt of a full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 is 4,600.
	Notes
	1. Data is taken from 5 per cent. extract of Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study. 2. The figure for the number of recipients is rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. A full basic State Pension (£79.60 in 2004–05) is paid to those who fully satisfy the contribution conditions either in their own right or where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's contributions. 4. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	Source
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

Pensioners

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have been entitled to either income support or pension credit in each year since 1990; how many claimed it in each year; and what percentage did not claim in each year.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the number of pensioners entitled to Income Support, the comparable number of recipients and the associated percentage rates of take-up can be found in the DWP report series: "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". Copies of the annual series are held in the Library.
	The latest report relates to financial year 2002–03 and pre-dates the introduction of pension credit. The report presents patterns in the take-up of pensioners' income support/minimum income guarantee between 1997–98 and 2002–03.
	Information on numbers of households and individuals in receipt of pension credit at 30 June 2005 is contained in the most recent quarterly pension credit progress report published on 20 October. A copy of the report is also in the Library. The report containing the first six months following the introduction of pension credit, "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2003/2004" will be released on 19 December 2005 and will contain estimates of take-up.

Winter Fuel Payments

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will receive the winter fuel payment in the Leeds West constituency in 2005–06.

Stephen Timms: For winter 2004–05 there were 14,035 people in the Leeds West constituency who received a winter fuel payment. We expect the numbers for winter 2005–06 to be similar. This information for winter 2004–05 is also available in the Library.
	Notes
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Local authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	Source
	Information Directorate, 100 per cent. Sample

Broadcasting (Illegal Jamming)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions have been held between the US State Department and the UK Government on representations each Government has made to the Libyan Government over the recent jamming of communication satellites Telstar 12 and Hotbird; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Libyan Government about the jamming of the Telstar 12 and Hotbird communication satellites since September; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of Libya's compliance with the International Telecommunications regulations of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (a) within Libya and (b) with reference to jamming of the Telstar 12 and Hotbird communications satellites; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what discussions the Government had with (a) broadcasting authorities and (b) Loral Skynet on (i) disruption of commercial and Government data circuits and (ii) restoration of Sowt Alamel's broadcasting services via the Telstar 12 and Hotbird satellites; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what impact the recent interruption of the Telstar 12 and Hotbird communication satellites had on Government communications.

Kim Howells: We have been informed that the Telstar 12 satellite has experienced some technical interference and note it has been alleged that the interference has originated from Libya. Our understanding is that, if true, the alleged action might be a breach of the International Telecommunications Regulations of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union.
	Government communications may have been disrupted and we are investigating the matter further. Following discussions with the United States authorities, the Office of Communications and Loral Skynet, the British ambassador in Tripoli raised the issue with the Libyan authorities at senior level.
	The Government continues to work to eliminate barriers to freedom of expression and information and to create an environment in which free speech and free media flourish.

Cameroon

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct the British ambassador to Cameroon to make urgent representations to President Biya concerning the arrest and detention of Mr. Nfor Ngala Nfor.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 7 December 2005
	My noble Friend, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa (Lord Triesman of Tottenham), raised the case of Mr. Nfor Ngala Nfor with the Cameroon Minister Delegate at the Ministry of External Relations at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on 24 November.
	The British high commissioner to Cameroon discussed the Southern Cameroons National Council with the Cameroon Deputy Minister of Justice on 29 November.

Colombia

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Colombia to ensure that (a) criminal investigations into third parties who backed and co-ordinated paramilitaries are advanced and (b) that those responsible for backing paramilitarism are brought to justice under the new Justice and Peace Law.

Douglas Alexander: We have regularly urged the Colombian Government to do more to tackle the issue of collusion between state officials and the paramilitary groups. President Uribe has publicly stated on a number of occasions that he will not tolerate such collusion and will act decisively against those who are proved to have such links. The Colombian Government has a clear duty to undertake thorough judicial investigations into all attacks and abuses, including those where there are credible allegations of collusion. We have made this point to the Colombians on many occasions and will continue to do so. We have also made it clear that a culture of impunity must not be allowed to flourish.
	We have been encouraged by recent, stronger action by the Colombians to address these issues. This has resulted in dismissals from the security forces, and in some cases, arrests and imprisonment of both high-ranking army officers and police. Such action sends a strong message that collusion with illegal groups and involvement in drug trafficking will not be tolerated. It also helps increase public confidence in the security forces. We commend the Colombian Government for this and urge them to continue, and strengthen, their efforts to crack down on collusion and to deny impunity to wrong-doers.
	The EU response to the new Justice and Peace Law can be found at http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/gena/86442.pdf

Democratic Republic of Congo

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo has visited the UK in the last four years.

Ian Pearson: President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo has made an official visit to the United Kingdom once over the last four years, from 4–6 February 2004. Prior to that, he also made an official visit to the UK in March 2001.

Foreign Decorations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2005, Official Report, columns 2245–46W, on foreign decorations, when he expects the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to announce (a) its decision on the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal and (b) the results of its review of the Government's rules for the accepting and wearing of foreign awards.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 6 December 2005
	The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals will be considering the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal and reviewing certain rules governing the accepting and wearing of foreign awards at its meeting on 7 December. Further consultations may be required before the Committee submits its advice to Her Majesty The Queen. hon. Members will be informed when decisions have been taken.

Kosovo

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in the UN-led talks on the future status of Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: On 10 November, the United Nations Security Council endorsed the Secretary-General's appointment of former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari, as his Status Envoy for Kosovo. Mr. Ahtisaari has begun his work, visiting Belgrade and Pristina last week. We look to both sides to engage constructively in this process. The British Government will continue to support the Status Envoy. I am placing in the Library of the House a copy of the Contact Group (United States, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Russia together with representatives of the European Union) Guiding Principles. These are there to support the work of the Status Envoy.

Liberia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the UK is providing to the Government of Liberia to reform and strengthen the (a) justice and (b) civil security structure in Liberia; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The UK is currently providing no direct support to Liberia on the justice sector. The Department for International Development (DFID) looked into a justice programme, but could not proceed for lack of a suitable local partner. Further, there are several other donors present in Monrovia better placed to cover this sector. The UK, however, played a key role in negotiating and getting agreement on the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Programme (GEMAP), which has a justice component. The UK representative in Monrovia is also involved in the Rule of Law Taskforce, and DFID is running a governance programme with an anti-corruption component.
	The UK is actively involved in sharing lessons learned from the UK Security Sector Reform (SSR) leadership role in Sierra Leone with the UN and the United States, who are leading on SSR in Liberia. There is also a UK Brigadier seconded to the UN in Liberia to advise on various aspects of SSR.

Liberia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the level of resources available to UN human rights officials tasked with investigating reports of trial by ordeal in Liberia; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We are aware of recent so-called "witchcraft" trials in Grand Cape Mount county. Such worrying issues form part of our regular dialogue with the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), including with their human rights staff. UNMIL are not only following closely and attending some of the hearings, but they are also carrying out civic education with local communities. The UK Political Officer in Monrovia—the sole Government representative in Liberia—has discussed the trials with UNMIL human rights staff, both in Monrovia and during a visit to the county where the activity is centred, in November 2005.

Sanjar Umarov

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the (a) whereabouts, (b) medical condition and (c) reason and conditions of detention of Sanjar Umarov; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) other members and representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of the government of Uzbekistan concerning the (i) arrest and (ii) detention of Sanjar Umarov on 22 October 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Sanjar Umarov was detained on 22 October 2005. He is being held in solitary confinement in Tashkent City Prison on charges of large scale embezzlement related to his business affairs. The Prosecutor General's Office has completed its preliminary investigation into Mr. Umarov's affairs and has submitted it to the Supreme Economic Court.
	Mr. Umarov's lawyer was first able to visit on 26 October 2005. He reported that Mr. Umarov was naked in his cell and incoherent. On subsequent visits Mr. Umarov has been able to talk to his lawyer in the presence of the investigation team. He has requested medical treatment for high blood pressure but has not had an independent medical assessment to date.
	Our ambassador in Tashkent, David Moran, raised Mr. Umarov's case with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 October 2005 and again with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mustafayev on 26 October 2005. We issued a Presidency statement on 25 October 2005 calling on the Uzbek authorities to allow Mr. Umarov access to his lawyer and his family and to treat him in accordance with international standards. The statement can be found at:
	http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename= OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid= l107293561746&a=KArticle&aid=l129042521613&date= 2005-l0–25.
	Mr. Moran discussed Umarov's case with Foreign Minister Ganiev on 2, 10 and 11 November 2005.
	On 8 November 2005, the EU issued a declaration on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, which referred to Umarov's detention and urgently requested the Uzbek authorities to allow an independent assessment of Mr. Umarov's condition. The declaration, which can be found at: http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlct/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c= Page&cid=l107293561746&a=KArticle&aid= l130675480072&date=2005-l1–08, was delivered to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by diplomatic note.
	Our Embassy in Tashkent remains in close touch with Umarov's family and lawyer.

United States (Deportation)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 909W, to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell), on the United States (deportation), whether the answer applies to UK Overseas Territories.

Kim Howells: I can confirm that that answer is true of the UK Overseas Territories.

War Crimes Trial (Guantanamo)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the US Administration on behalf of (a) the UK Government and (b) the European Union regarding the US Department of Defence's decision to conduct the first war crimes trial at Guantanamo with the power to impose the death penalty; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government's view on the Military Commissions are well known to the United States (US) Government. The Government have expressed its reservations about them from July 2003 when two British nationals were designated for possible trial. The Government subsequently concluded that the Commissions did not meet the standards required for our nationals. The UK has not made representations on this matter on behalf of EU member states.
	The Military Commissions have been suspended, pending consideration of the Hamdan case by the US Supreme Court. This is not expected before early next year. The US Government have confirmed that it will not seek the death penalty for any of the nine terrorist suspects it has formally charged at Guantanamo Bay.

West Papua

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1902W, on West Papua, what reports he has received that Tactica water cannon vehicles are present in West Papua and have been used to control peaceful protests; what representations he has since made to the Indonesian authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: In the period since 22 November, we have received reports indicating that Tactica water cannon vehicles were deployed to the city of Jayapura, Papua in August of this year. The reports indicate that the vehicles may have been used by police to disperse a violent incident during which demonstrators were allegedly seeking to cause criminal damage to a public facility. We are currently seeking confirmation of these reports from the Indonesian authorities.

Acute Hospitals

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospitals have provided type 1 accident and emergency facilities in each year since 1990.

Liam Byrne: Data on the number of type 1 accident and emergency (A and E) departments is only available in this format from 2000–01 and is shown in the following table. Prior to 2000–01, statistics provided a count of the number of trusts providing a type 1 A and E service, rather than the number of type 1 A and E services. This pre-2000–01 trust data is available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity
	
		Type 1 A and E departments, 2000–01 to 2005–06
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000–01 201 
			 2001–02 196 
			 2002–03 209 
			 2003–04 211 
			 2004–05 208 
		
	
	Note:
	As at end March of relevant year.
	Source:
	KH03 for 2000–01 to 2001–02. QMAE for subsequent years.

Allergy Specialists

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many allergy specialists are working in the NHS in London, broken down by (a) primary care trust and (b) London borough.

Jane Kennedy: London primary care trusts do not employ staff with an allergy speciality and numbers of allergy specialists are not collected by London borough.
	However, the information in the table shows the latest figures available for hospital medical staff with a specialty in allergy, within London Government Office Region, by strategic health authority, national health service trust and grade.
	
		Hospital, medical staff with a specialty in allergy, within London Government Office Region, by strategic health authority, organisation and grade as at 30 September 2004 Number (headcount)
		
			   Of which: 
			   All staff Consultant Registrar group Senior house officer Hospital practitioner/ clinical assistant 
		
		
			 London GOR  45 32 9 1 3 
			 Of which:   
			 North Central London SHA Q05 13 10 2 1 0 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children RP4 4 4 0 0 0 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust RAP 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust RAL 7 4 2 1 0 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust RRV 1 1 0 0 0 
			 North East London SSA Q06 3 3 0 0 0 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust RNJ 3 3 0 0 0 
			
			 North West London SHA Q04 15 9 3 0 3 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust RQM 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust RQN 6 1 2 0 3 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust RT3 3 2 1 0 0 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust RJ5 4 4 0 0 0 
			
			 South East London SHA Q07 9 6 3 0 0 
			 Guys and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust RJ1 5 3 2 0 0 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust RJZ 4 3 1 0 0 
			
			 South West London SHA Q08 5 4 1 0 0 
			 Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust RVR 5 4 1 0 0 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental work force census.

Antidepressants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1799W, on antidepressant drugs, if she will break down the figures by (a) 0 to 11, (b) 12 to 16, (c) 17 to 25, (d) 26 to 50, (e) 51 to 65, (f) 66 to 75 and (g) 75 year olds and over; and what proportion of the total population in each age chart is represented as a proportion of the total population for each age group.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available. Age-based prescription data is available only for people within the three age-related charge exemption categories: zero to 15 years; 16 to 18 years and in full-time education; and people aged 60 years or over.
	Prescription data is not gathered for other age categories, nor where a prescription charge exemption on age grounds alone does not apply: 16 to 18 but not in full-time education and all persons aged 18 to 59 years.

Audiology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2648W, on audiology services, what data is being collected as part of the pilot for diagnostic tests for pure tone audiometry; which hospitals are involved in the pilot; when the results of the pilot will be published; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 12 November 2005, Official Report, column 2648W. The pilot data collection looked at data on activity and waiting times for a short list of diagnostic tests or procedures, including pure tone audiometry. The same set of information was collected for each of the diagnostic tests/procedures covered by the piloting exercise.

Epilepsy

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to encourage the development of epilepsy networks within the NHS.

Liam Byrne: We have invested £1.2 million in a NHS Modernisation Agency project to improve access to, and the quality of, neurological services. We have also given £290,000 to the National Society for Epilepsy to develop its information outreach services.
	On 19 February 2003, the Department published its action plan for epilepsy—"Improving Services For People With Epilepsy". Following this, the NHS Modernisation Agency ran "Action on Neurology" in 2004–05 at eight pilot sites. This included delivering high quality epilepsy service without the need for patients to travel far by the use of electronic and paper patient-held records. The pilots also aimed to improve communications between primary, secondary and tertiary care by developing a network of healthcare professionals to deliver a co-ordinated service. A further aim was to develop general practice with special interest services for people with epilepsy and headaches and a primary care triage system to improve access and efficiency.

Fertility Treatment

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the use of eligibility criteria by primary care trusts in the provision of funding for infertility services;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which primary care trusts are making available sufficient funding for centrally-agreed levels of fertility treatment;
	(3)  if she will make a statement on the progress that primary care trusts in England are expected to make in implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's clinical guideline on fertility;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the forthcoming (a) review of specialised services commissioning and (b) reorganisation of primary care trusts on progress towards implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's clinical guideline on fertility.

Caroline Flint: When the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems was published in February 2004 we advised primary care trusts (PCTs) to offer a minimum of one cycle of invtro fertilisation (IVF) by April 2005 to those who meet the clinical criteria in the guideline, giving priority to couples with no children living with them. Following up the implementation of the guideline, NICE has carried out surveys measuring its impact and these are available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk The surveys have found that 95 per cent. of the PCTs who responded are offering at least one cycle of IVF to those defined as eligible according to local criteria. The primary responsibility for the implementation of the clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems produced by NICE rests with the national health service at local level, in discussion with patients' groups and local health bodies. Local policies will reflect local needs and priorities. We have advised that we expect the NHS to make progress to full implementation of the guideline in the longer term.
	The assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems is not defined as a specialised service. In many cases, PCTs work together to commission infertility treatment services.

Health Services (Uxbridge)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential and (b) in-patient specialist drug treatment rehabilitation places are available in (i) Uxbridge constituency and (ii) each London borough.

Jane Kennedy: We do not hold figures for Uxbridge as drug treatment data is collected on a drug action team (DAT) area basis. Data is not collected on treatment places, but is collected on the basis of aggregated numbers in treatment in the financial year across all six treatment types, which are:
	day care
	general practitioner prescribing
	specialist prescribing
	residential rehabilitation
	in-patient detoxification
	structured counselling
	In 2004–05, the numbers in treatment in Hillingdon, of which Uxbridge is part of, was 504.
	The figures for all DATs in London, for numbers in treatment in 2004–05 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 571 
			 Barnet 562 
			 Bexley 345 
			 Brent 844 
			 Bromley 657 
			 Camden 1,834 
			 City of London 20 
			 Croydon 954 
			 Baling 1,203 
			 Enfield 608 
			 Greenwich 782 
			 Hackney 1,180 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,079 
			 Haringey 1,022 
			 Harrow 757 
			 Havering 482 
			 Hillingdon 504 
			 Hounslow 857 
			 Islington 1,495 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,150 
			 Kingston upon Thames 424 
			 Lambeth 1,527 
			 Lewisham 1,063 
			 Merton 728 
			 Newham 859 
			 Redbridge 651 
			 Richmond upon Thames 647 
			 Southwark 1,503 
			 Sutton 564 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,204 
			 Waltham Forest 626 
			 Wandsworth 945 
			 Westminster 1,392 
			 London region total 27,692

Health Warnings (Cigarette Packets)

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make representations to the European Commission for the addition of a "smoking causes blindness" warning to the list of approved warnings for cigarette packets.

Caroline Flint: The European Commission is not currently in a position to change the health warnings on tobacco packs. There are many candidate conditions caused by smoking that might be appropriate as new warnings. As and when the 14 current health warnings are reviewed, the United Kingdom will be keen to be involved in ensuring that the revised warnings are as effective as possible.

HIV/AIDS

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in North Somerset primary care trust were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004; and how many have been so diagnosed in 2005.

Caroline Flint: Data on HIV/AIDS diagnoses are not available at primary care trust (PCT) level. Data at strategic health authority (SHA) level which have reported to the end of September 2005 is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/hiv/epidemiology/hars_tables.htm.
	The relevant SHA for North Somerset PCT is Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA.

Hospitals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of patients leaving NHS hospitals after stays of a week or more who are suffering from malnutrition.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Counts of finished discharge episodes and counts of individual patients where the primary diagnosis is malnutrition and length of stay is seven days or longer in national health service hospitals in England for 2003–04 Primary diagnosis
		
			 Discharges Patients 
		
		
			 165 159 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Influenza Vaccinations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average patient waiting time was for a winter influenza vaccine in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: This data is not held centrally.

Lupus

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 442W, on lupus, whether the part of her Department's research and development budget which is allocated to and managed by individual NHS organisations is ring-fenced solely for the purpose of research and development.

Jane Kennedy: The research and development budget the Department allocates to national health service organisations is subject to an agreement between the Secretary of State and each of those organisations. The agreement is an NHS contract and is legally binding. The agreement states that the research and development allocation should be used to
	"host, support, carry out and commission research and development in such as way as to achieve maximum benefits in terms of the NHS research and development strategy".
	It specifically precludes expenditure on local service development, clinical audit, patient care services, or costs that are, or should be, met by another body such as a commercial organisation, NHS commissioner or university.
	The Department undertakes regular performance management to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement, requiring annual reports from individual NHS organisations covering current research activity and financial accountability.
	The Government are committed to moving to full transparency of the use of research and development funds allocated to NHS trusts and achieving full sustainability for clinical research in the NHS. To that end, the Department's consultation document, "Best Research for Best Health: a new national health research strategy" includes proposals for the introduction of a system in which the money supporting research and development undertaken in the NHS will follow patient involvement in health studies.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS (a) consultant psychiatric posts and (b) mental health acute beds were available in each of the last five years in (i) West Sussex, (ii) East Sussex and (iii) Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority.

Caroline Flint: Information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, information on the number of medical consultants within the psychiatry group of specialities for West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority is shown in the table.
	The Department does not collect mental health acute beds data. However, information relating to the number of acute beds and the number of mental health beds at trust level is available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data_ requests/beds_open_overnight.htm
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS) medical consultants: within the psychiatry group of specialties within specified organisations by year Numbers (headcount) and full time equivalents
		
			  East Sussex RXD South Downs RDR West Sussex RW8 
			  no fte no fte no fte 
		
		
			 1999 (23)— (23)— 20 18 (23)— (23)— 
			 2000 (23)— (23)— 20 17 (23)— (23)— 
			 2001 (23)— (23)— 25 21 (23)— (23)— 
			 2002 19 18 20 17 39 36 
			 2003 19 19 23 19 40 37 
			 2004 21 21 26 23 39 37 
			 2005(24) 25 25 22 20 45 42 
		
	
	(23) Equals zero.
	(24) As at June.
	Notes:
	1. '0' denotes less than one, more than zero.
	2. All data as at 30 September each year, except for 2005 where data as at 30 June.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.

Mental Health

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the level of funding for mental health services in North West Leicestershire.

Liam Byrne: The Department assesses annually the investment in mental health services published in the national survey of mental health services. The report details the level of investment in adult mental health services and compares it with results reported in previous years.
	The analysis in the report is derived from the detailed finance mapping exercise co-ordinated by local implementation teams as part of the regular adult mental health review process undertaken each autumn.

Ministerial Travel

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) flights and (b) helicopter flights, taken by Ministers within her Department for (i) UK and (ii) overseas visits in each year since 1995; on how many occasions (A) charter flights were used and (B) first and club class tickets were obtained; and who accompanied the ministers on each trip.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not hold the information in the form requested.
	Since 1999, the Government has published, an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. These report information for the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05. Information for 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent in each year from 1 May 1997 on ministerial travel, broken down by (a) provision and running costs of vehicular transport, (b) first class travel by rail, (c) standard class travel by rail, (d) first class travel by air, (e) club or equivalent class travel by air and (f) economy class travel by air.

Jane Kennedy: The Department's finance systems do not hold information in the form requested. The available information up to 2003–04 is shown in the following table. In April 2004, the Department introduced a new accounting system. Under the new accounting system information on travel costs are not separately identifiable.
	
		Ministers' offices travel (including Ministers, officials and special advisers, where appropriate) £
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Total expenditure on travel 376,376 427,970 508,932 557,042 480,855 511,899 595,043 
			 United Kingdom travel rail 22,268 26,582 44,194 35,250 35,500 40,354 45,418 
			 Overseas travel rail 0 0 1,685 350 1,533 1,216 1,366 
			 UK air 4,755 2,376 2,395 15,780 22,919 17,104 20,602 
			 Overseas air 9,263 50,523 21,163 19,215 27,220 54,636 44,187 
		
	
	Since 1999, the Government has published, an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. These report information for the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05. Information for 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.
	In respect of ministerial cars, my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) has asked Roy Burke, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 2004–05. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library. For information for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04,I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the Chief Executive of the GCDA to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Howard Flight) dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Library.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the end-of-year financial position was of the NHS (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) NHS trust, (ii) primary care organisation and (iii) other NHS organisation in each year since 1997–98.

Liam Byrne: This information requested has been placed in the Library. In the year before this series (19967–97), 209 of the 529 national health service bodies were in deficit and the total deficit was £460 million.

Private Patients

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private patients were admitted to NHS hospitals in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The numbers of finished consultant episodes for private patients treated in national health service hospitals for each year from 1994–95 to 2003–04 are shown in the following table.
	
		Count of finished consultant episodes for private patients treated in national health service hospitals in England 1994–95 to 2003–04
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1994–95 101,526 
			 1995–96 109,716 
			 1996–97 112,923 
			 1997–98 124,325 
			 1998–99 142,783 
			 1999–2000 144,341 
			 2000–01 125,902 
			 2001–02 121,712 
			 2002–03 118,680 
			 2003–04 113,273 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Last 10 years for which data is currently available.
	2. Figures do not accurately represent the number of patients treated as a patient may have more than one episode of care during the year.
	3. Two different counting systems were used during this time series. From 2000–01 counts were based on administrative data category field 'admincat' but for earlier years the counts were based on a derived administrative category data field.
	4. Figures are grossed for coverage, except for 2003–04 which is not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.